Mumbleshipping
by RosalindHawkins
Summary: Mumbleshipping: Seto Kaiba x Ryou Bakura x Duke Devlin/Ryuuji Otogi. Includes Euroshipping/Minorshipping/Mastershipping. Love conquers all. It conquers Seto's habit of keeping his problems to himself, Duke's habit of courting danger, and Ryou's habit of hiding his pain. Can it even conquer the sins of their fathers? Occasional smut, mild language, self-harm, angst, mild bondage.
1. Relax

"Wow, that was a fun game!" Duke said with a smile, stretching his arms upwards before reaching out to help Ryou put the game pieces away.

"I still find it hard to believe that you've never played Monster World before, either of you," Ryou commented, glancing at both Seto and Duke. He gathered up the dice and put them in their case before he started collecting the game pieces themselves.

"Must be a Japanese thing, or maybe a British thing," Duke said lightly with a laugh. Having grown up in America, he thought that it was something those countries had that his simply didn't. Seto remained reticent. He'd never played Monster World because Gozaburo had taken away all toys and games from his step-son. The only game he'd still managed to play behind the tyrant's back was Duel Monsters—thanks to Mokuba—and when he'd finally freed himself from the wannabe dictator's grasp, he'd thrown himself whole-heartedly into the game that had given him hope and a will to live through all those years of abuse.

Ryou carefully set the last miniatures in their case, glancing down at his scarred left hand as a dusty memory slowly surfaced in his mind. The Spirit of the Millennium Ring, sealing his soul into the dice, sacrificing himself to save his friends, his White Mage sacrificing himself to bring Ryou back. He inhaled deeply and imagined the memory fading as he let out his breath. It was a trick his therapist had taught him, and it was one of the many coping mechanisms he employed to keep himself from sinking back into severe depression. They were working well, and Ryou was glad of it.

Duke sat back in his chair, taking his long hair out of its ponytail to run his fingers through it, lifting it off of his neck as he tied it back up in a neater ponytail. It was summer, and while the three of them were on vacation together in the summer house Seto owned in Italy, it was hotter than any of them had expected it to be. "Even with the AC on, it's too hot in here," Duke complained, standing up and glancing over at Seto, his brow furrowed. "You alright, man? You're pretty quiet."

Seto glanced up at him and merely shrugged, standing as well. "Just thinking," he muttered noncommittally.

"How about I cook us some lunch?" Duke suggested, and his partners nodded appreciatively. "I'll help," Ryou offered.

* * *

After lunch, the three lounged in the afternoon heat, wearing the coolest clothes they had. Or, in Duke's case, going completely shirtless. He was confident enough in himself to do so, wearing only a pair of loose shorts as he lay across Seto's lap. Ryou was sitting on the floor with his back against the front of the couch, his arms wrapped around Seto's leg as he lay his own head against Seto's knee. One of Duke's hands combed through Ryou's hair as his other hand focused on rubbing ice cubes across his abs. It was his preferred method for cooling down, and while the other two found it a little strange, they weren't about to tell him to stop. They both found it surprisingly erotic. Seto idly twirled Duke's ponytail with one hand while the other held a glass of ice water he sipped from periodically.

The CEO felt like he was going nuts without something to occupy his overactive mind. He'd let Ryou and Duke talk him into leaving his laptop behind in Japan, which would effectively keep him from doing any work while they were on vacation, but without work to fill his empty moments, unpleasant memories pushed at the corners of his mind, demanding attention when Seto couldn't afford to indulge them. He glanced over his shoulder at the kitchen counter, where his phone was charging. Maybe he should call Mokuba, make sure that he was alright. Even though Mokuba was in the good hands of his personal staff, he'd asked Yugi to visit his brother every now and then to make sure he was alright while Seto was gone. If he was to call Mokuba, it would mean displacing both Duke and Ryou, and he didn't feel comfortable doing that at the moment—and it wasn't just because he savored being the center of both their attentions. Besides, Seto had always been terribly awkward with personal phone calls. Business calls he could handle with no difficulty whatsoever, but personal calls were things he rarely made and his lack of practice made him reluctant to make any at all.

Ryou, who'd been lightly dozing against Seto's leg, glanced up at his blue-eyed lover and saw his pensive expression. "Seto, is everything alright?" he murmured sleepily, looking worried.

Seto blinked and looked down at the white-haired teen. "Yes, I'm fine," he answered curtly, realizing immediately that his answer was unconvincing. Duke aimed his pair of emeralds at Seto, eying him suspiciously as well. It was only their first full day on vacation, and Seto was still trying to learn how to relax.

"No, you're not," Ryou stated with a frown. The three of them had been together for several months, now, but between his hard life and his natural disposition, Seto was still very much a closed book to Ryou and Duke. He'd dropped hints now and then, surprising little treasures of trust, as to what his earlier life had been like. He'd hinted at Gozaburo's harsh nature, ambiguously admitted that he still haunted him, implied the punishments he'd been subjected to, shown them how all of it had affected him. Ryou and Duke had spoken privately on a few occasions concerning Seto's past. They wanted to help him as best they could despite his silence, but were still trying to figure out how.

"What are you thinking about?" Duke asked casually, not wanting to add any more pressure to the situation, lest it make Seto clam up.

"Mokuba," he answered after a pause, and Ryou's features relaxed. Seto omitted Gozaburo's presence in his mind on purpose, but he wasn't lying.

"Your brother will be alright. He has good people taking care of him, and I trust Yugi to check in on him often so that he doesn't get lonely or bored." Ryou smiled reassuringly before standing and facing Seto. Duke gently disentangled his fingers from Ryou's hair as the other stood, putting his hands behind his head as he watched the Brit lean down and kiss the brunette. It was an unusual angle from which to view a kiss, but Duke enjoyed watching it nonetheless. As Seto slid his hand from Duke's hair to Ryou's, Duke slipped a hand to slightly push back the long sleeve of his button-down linen shirt to caress the faded scars on his wrist and feel the billionaire's pulse skyrocket. That was a turn-on for Duke.

Seto deepened his kiss with Ryou, his body gradually relaxing as he let the stress seep from him into the couch he sat on. Ryou's fingers buried themselves greedily in Seto's short hair. The CEO slid his hand from Ryou's hair to his waist, pulling him slightly closer as Duke shifted his other hand to squeeze Ryou's ass, making him moan.

"Might I suggest we take this elsewhere?" Duke remarked with a smirk and a faint rasp in his voice. Blue eyes and brown both gazed down at him, and they smiled in agreement.


	2. Paranoid

**Author Notes:** Didn't plan on this being a cohesive, chapter-to-chapter story, but I'm pretty happy with it so far, and I like where it's going, so I'm just gonna roll with it! Enjoy!

* * *

Ryou let out a low sigh as Duke brushed his hair with gentle, loving strokes. He and Seto had showered together that morning while Duke slept in late, and now while Seto was making breakfast—using the skills his boyfriends had taught him—Duke and Ryou were having some intimate moments of their own. Ryou had always enjoyed having his hair brushed by another, but living alone most of his life had deprived him of the experience.

"I'm still worried about Seto," Duke admitted quietly after a while.

"I am too, but I don't feel comfortable pushing him further about Gozaburo. I don't want to make him so upset that he shuts us out and never talks about it again." Ryou sighed, perplexed by his lover as much as he was enticed by him.

"I think that confronting him about it might actually force the truth out of him," Duke remarked contemplatively. "If we're direct and assertive, without being aggressive, I think he might finally tell us what-all happened to him."

"But it's not as if we're the only ones who don't know. Nobody knows, not even his own brother. It might just be too much for him to tell anybody, and he feels the most comfortable with keeping it inside himself," Ryou pointed it.

"But if it's still troubling him this much after so many years, don't you think that means he needs help?" Duke countered thoughtfully. He hand Ryou the hair brush and the both of them turned around. Ryou picked up the spray bottle and wet Duke's slept-on curls before carefully running the brush through them.

"Perhaps," Ryou allowed, biting his bottom lip nervously. "It's just that… it's not as if he's in some sort of crisis state. He seems to be doing well enough as he is now, and I'm afraid that we'll make things worse instead of better."

"How about this, we only confront him if we see signs that he's not as fine as he claims to be. Does that sound fair to you?" Duke proposed.

Ryou nodded, saying, "Alright, I suppose I'll agree to that. You do have a good point." He separated some of Duke's curls with his fingers, enjoying the soft texture against his skin. "I've always loved your hair, Duke. It's just wavy enough to be curly, but not curly enough to be unmanageable." He buried his face in the smooth, ebony locks as he hugged Duke from behind. His partner smiled, taking Ryou's hands in his own and interlocking their fingers.

Seto walked in then, wearing a long-sleeved linen shirt like yesterday, but the sleeves were rolled up at the moment. "Breakfast is ready when you are," he announced, then smirked as he watched the two of them. "You do plan on putting clothes on, right Duke?"

"No, I planned on walking around buck-naked all day long," Duke tossed back cheekily, giving him a naughty wink. Ryou couldn't help but begin to giggle against Duke's back.

* * *

Breakfast was delicious, and though Duke hadn't put a shirt on, he'd at least put on some shorts. He teased Seto with his self-exposure all morning, making Ryou chuckle every other minute. Ryou offered to do the dishes, leaving Seto and Duke to get into a playful wrestling match on the floor. When Ryou finished washing the dishes, he quietly slipped away to the back porch and lay on a lounge-chair in the shade, facing the blue western sky. He closed his eyes as he let himself simply relax, allowing Seto and Duke to get their restlessness out of their system.

A little over an hour later, Duke joined Ryou, no longer shirtless and wearing a loose black muscle tank. Duke slid into place beside Ryou on the lounge-chair, causing Ryou to shift over to make room for him, but Duke had a different idea. He gently seized Ryou's hips and lifted him onto his lap. Ryou now straddled Duke, his legs on either side of his lap, and he placed his hands on Duke's shoulders as he gazed down into his languid green eyes. Duke pulled his head down into a tender kiss before nuzzling his head against Ryou's shoulder.

"Seto's talking to Mokuba right now," Duke murmured. "I can't really blame him for being paranoid, or for missing him so much since they've hardly been separated at all for the past decade."

"I can't either," Ryou agreed drowsily. "I know I'd miss Amane like that."

Duke felt his stomach clench at the mention of Ryou's long-dead sister. He'd never had any siblings, and his parents had never been particularly attached to Duke himself, so when he watched the way Seto doted on Mokuba, seeming to need constant assurance of his brother's safety in order to continue breathing, he was puzzled by how calmly Ryou could mention his dear little sister. Perhaps Ryou had completed his grieving long ago, going through all of its stages so that he was now at peace with the loss. Sometimes Duke himself felt an ache for having lost the opportunity to experience sibling bonds. He felt like there was a little bit of a hole in himself that would have been filled by a younger brother or sister.

Well, it was too late for that now. Mokuba did, however, make a nice substitute younger brother for both Duke and Ryou. It was good for the child to socialize and play with people besides his caretakers and himself, and both of them were always more than happy to oblige. Still, nobody could or would ever love Mokuba more than Seto could. The former King of Games would always hold that title securely, as the one person in the whole world to love Mokuba the most.

After maybe half an hour, Ryou glanced up and noticed that Seto was leaning against the door-frame, just watching the other two as he drank from a glass of unsweetened iced tea. His mouth twitched into a small grin as his eyes met Ryou's, making the younger man beam with happiness. Seto's displays of affection were never huge or extravagant, which made every little smirk and chuckle and caress mean so much more.

"Join us, Seto," Ryou said sweetly, almost too sweetly.

Seto snorted. "I don't think there's any more room on there," he pointed out nonchalantly.

"I'm sure we could make it work," Duke purred as he tilted his head back to wink at the bemused brunette.

Seto took another gulp of his iced tea before strolling over to casually lay on the lounge chair beside theirs. Ryou immediately crawled off of Duke to sit sideways across Seto's lap, while Duke lay down on his back between Seto's legs.

"How's Mokuba?" Ryou asked as he toyed with Seto's hair absent-mindedly.

"He's doing well, and the mansion is still in one piece, so that's good news. He told me that Yugi visited him last night and they played some games for a few hours."

"Mokuba's more responsible than you think, Seto," Ryou chimed. "I think you'll be impressed with how well he holds up while we're gone." He kissed the CEO's cheek, then nestled into the hollow of his neck, nibbling gently at his skin.

Seto allowed himself to relax against the cushions of the lounge-chair, allowed himself to enjoy Duke's warm presence between his legs, allowed himself to enjoy Ryou's tender lips on his neck. It was happening again, though. Just what do you think you're doing, Seto? Gozaburo's voice demanded in his mind. Lazy layabout. You don't have what it takes to run my company. Seto closed his eyes and tried to shake the voice out of his mind without letting on to his lovers that he was troubled. You've abandoned my company to the hands of incompetent underlings. You need to take care of everything yourself; that's the only way for you to be a success.

Seto began to feel restless, like he needed to be up and moving, needed to find something to work on, some computer code to proof, some spreadsheets to review, even a videogame to beta test.

Ryou felt the tension in Seto's arms and pulled his head back to look up at his pinched expression. Seto opened his eyes, forcing his face to relax. "I'm sorry, but I have to—"

"No," Ryou interrupted, pressing his hand firmly against Seto's chest to keep him still. His expression was a stern one, surprising Seto into submission. "You're not going to ditch us for work. You're going to stay right here and let us spend time with you."

Seto didn't answer, but let himself relax once more as he realized that Ryou wasn't going to let him up. Ryou readjusted himself so that he was straddling Seto's lap as he had been Duke's earlier. He began to kiss Seto with a fierce hunger he hadn't sensed in Ryou before. This was new, but not unpleasant.


	3. XOXO

Seto's make out session with Ryou had left him even more restless than he'd been before. Ryou had hungrily enveloped Seto's mouth with his own, using his teeth roughly in a way that Seto responded to with eager anticipation. Then Ryou had cut it short, lifting himself off of Seto and giving him a single, sly glance before striding away and re-entering the house.

Seto sat there with red lips and pink cheeks, looking somewhat stunned. "What was that all about?" he breathed in a faint tone of awe.

"What are you referring to?" Duke asked coyly from where he still lay between his lover's legs.

"His kiss was… different…"

"Care to demonstrate?" Duke crooned as he slunk up the length of the brunette's elongated form, his own body pressed down on top of the other's as his face hovered merely a breath away from the brunette's.

Seto smirked and grabbed Duke's hair as he began to devour Duke as Ryou had devoured him.

* * *

Ryou let out a sigh as he ran a brush through his hair a few times, pulling it back into a high ponytail and tying it off with the hair elastic around his wrist. It was getting to be too hot to keep his hair down. He glanced to the side at his own reflection and pondered for a moment if he should get his hair cut shorter so that it wasn't such a hassle. If he was to do it, summertime was ideal, but he also remembered how Seto had reacted the last time he'd brought the subject up.

Seto didn't want Ryou to change his hairstyle, or to change anything about himself at all. He'd been irked with Duke for getting that black dragon tattoo on his back without consulting either of them, even though it was a cool tattoo. Perhaps he'd simply suffered too much change as a child that he simply couldn't control, and that was why he demanded absolute control of everything in his life. He'd gotten better at demanding less control over certain people, like Duke, Ryou, and Mokuba, but the trait served him well as CEO of his company, and there was no way he would ever abandon it entirely. It was too much ingrained in his nature.

He left their bedroom to enter the kitchen, pouring a glass of iced tea for himself. It had been getting too hot outside, which was the real reason he'd returned to the shaded, air-conditioned shelter of the indoors. He squeezed half of a lemon into his tea and carefully added a teaspoon of sugar as he contemplated the irritation he felt towards Seto. Why couldn't he just relax for a while? Why did he always need something to occupy himself? It was like he couldn't go without mental stimulation for more than a few minutes without getting restless. Ryou couldn't understand it. It was only irritating, though, because it meant that it wasn't enough for Seto to be with the ones he loved, not even when Mokuba was around were they enough for him. He drank his tea greedily, emptying it halfway, then immediately beginning to refill it with the pitcher in the fridge.

That was when Seto walked in, still looking a little glassy-eyed from their kiss; or perhaps he and Duke had had a little fun of their own while Ryou was absent. He didn't mind, of course; it was good to see them happy together, and Ryou felt too confident in his bonds with both of them to feel jealous. Seto went straight for Ryou, slipping his arms around his waist and resting his chin on the other's shoulder as he hugged him from behind.

"Are you happy here, Seto?" Ryou asked out of the blue, setting his glass of iced tea on the counter.

"Of course," he answered, sounding surprised. "What makes you ask?"

"You're acting strange. You keep looking at your phone like you're expecting work emails, your fingers will twitch like they need a keyboard to type on, you don't let yourself sit in any one place for too long. You're restless, and you seem to get bored easily unless we're playing a game or being physical with each other. I've never seen you like this before, but then again, I've never seen you on vacation before. Is something wrong?" Ryou's tone wasn't accusatory; it was gentle, but firm, with that yearning texture to it that always made Seto's pulse stutter. He couldn't understand how one man could hold so much emotion in his small body, but Ryou managed it without bursting at the seams, and Seto thought it a miracle. He felt so much love, so much pain, so much sorrow, and even anger on occasion. He felt everything deeply, whether sympathetically or empathetically, and it never ceased to astound the closed, cold CEO.

"Is the answer, 'I'm a workaholic,' not sufficient this time?" Seto asked half-jokingly. He used it often, too often for Ryou's tastes, though Duke seemed to understand, given that he also ran a business, though a much smaller one compared to KaibaCorp. He understood the pressures and responsibilities that came with the position, and the meticulous care and perfectionism that spawned from the passion they had for their professions.

"No, it's not," Ryou scolded gently, his forehead wrinkling in a disapproving pout. Seto sighed softly and turned him around in his arms so that they were facing each other. His hands planted firmly on Ryou's shoulders, he bent his head and kissed him hard for a good ten seconds before pulling back and relishing the look of surprise on Ryou's face.

"You know I love you, Ryou, as much as I love Duke. There's no other place I'd rather be than with the two of you." Seto's words were sincere, and Ryou didn't doubt him for a moment, but he didn't ignore the fact that Seto was dodging the question. Even so, Ryou didn't want to spoil them moment when Seto pulled him into a tight embrace.

Ryou closed his eyes and relished in the warmth and closeness of his broad-shouldered body. The CEO always felt warm to Ryou, like his body contained at all times a smoldering fire that nothing could extinguish. Seto rested his chin on the top of Ryou's head, then opened his eyes to gaze out the window. Ryou felt and heard his hearty laughter—a rare and beautiful thing.

"Duke, I thought you said that you weren't going to walk around naked all day!" Seto called out the open window, thoroughly amused. Ryou burst into a fit of giggles that was smothered against Seto's firm chest.

"I changed my mind!" Duke called back, a laugh in his voice. Seto watched his kinky boyfriend stand and stretch gloriously in the sunlight. Duke then turned and entered the kitchen, walking over to his boyfriends, who opened their arms to welcome him into their embrace. Three heads nestled closely together, white and brown and black hair intermingling as their laughs blended in the sultry summer air.


	4. Honesty

The three men slept cuddled together in their large, shared bed, Seto between his two lovers. Their intimacy had been wildly passionate; tender, yet rough. The power distribution among them was delicately balanced like trinkets on a three-way scale. Kaiba never relinquished his control easily, but Duke was willing to wrest it from him at any given point in time. Ryou gave himself to both of them because he enjoyed being swept up in the current of their desires. Even though he was often a more passive participant, nothing happened unless he wanted it. They knew each other so well that they were long past the point of needing to ask for permission, but if Duke ever got adventurous and Ryou felt uncomfortable, he only had to say the word, and they would stop.

Tonight had been intense; a week into their vacation, and Seto was finally learning how to relax, and apparently relaxation made sex even better. That was something he'd never known before, mostly because he'd never truly been relaxed before. It had been intense enough that they'd all been wiped out afterward, and promptly fell asleep.

After such a night, it would have made sense for them all to sleep soundly. Sadly, this was not the case. Seto was unfortunate enough to experience one of the night terrors that had plagued him for so long. He'd managed to suppress them for so long, keep them secret from his boyfriends. They were actually the primary reason he hadn't yet invited Ryou and Duke to move in with him, though they had moved in with each other. It wasn't that he didn't love them or that he didn't trust them. Seto Kaiba had built layers of thick defenses around his heart, his mind, his personal life. These two in his bed had already pierced more of those defenses than any other person alive, but they hadn't yet reached the very core of his soul and being.

Ryou, the lightest sleeper of them all, was the first to be woken by Seto's thrashing. Having suffered from night terrors at one point himself, he realized immediately what was happening. He grabbed Seto's wrists and pinned them down to the bed, calling his lover's name in an attempt to wake him. Seto didn't wake, but Duke finally did. As Duke gradually came to awareness, Ryou ordered him, "Duke, hold down his legs so he doesn't hurt himself." Duke obeyed without asking, too confused about what was going on to protest. Less than a minute later, Ryou succeeded in waking up Seto, who gasped for air immediately opening his eyes. Ryou let go of him and glanced down at Duke, indicating for him to do the same. Both of them pulled back a bit, Duke edging closer to help Seto sit up as Ryou took a moment to sort his thoughts.

"How long have you had night terrors, Seto?" Ryou asked quietly, slipping a pale arm around his waist since Duke's arm was around his shoulders. The brunette didn't answer immediately, preferring to rest his head against Duke as he struggled to catch his breath, trying to calm himself down so that things didn't get any worse. The current situation wasn't helping things, either. This was precisely what he'd been trying to avoid for so long, and now he couldn't avoid it any longer. They would know; he couldn't not tell them…

Ryou realized that Seto still hadn't caught his breath, that even though Ryou and Duke flanked him comfortingly, he seemed tense, anxious even. Anxiety attack. Ryou remembered that they commonly occurred with night terrors; they had for him. He took Seto's face into his hands, turning it to face him so that Seto could no longer avoid his eyes.

"Breathe, Seto. Just take a deep breath and let it out slowly. You're going to be okay. I promise." Ryou's calm voice helped to soothe him, and several moments later, he could feel the anxiety ebbing. Ryou, looking hurt and worried, pressed his forehead against Seto's and gave him a small nuzzle. "Why didn't you ever tell us this happened?"

It was Seto's turn to struggle internally with what he was comfortable with and what would be honest. "I… didn't want to," he said with difficulty, knowing that the answer was insufficient on its own, but at least it was a start.

"Why not?" Duke asked, puzzled, combing his fingers through Seto's hair soothingly.

Ryou watched as Seto's eyes clouded over in unspoken anguish. He only ever looked like that when a certain step-father was involved. "It has to do with Gozaburo, doesn't it?" he murmured, and Seto closed his eyes, nodding slightly. "Seto…" Ryou whispered, his voice breaking as he fought back the emotions that welled up inside of him.

The brunette pulled away, almost as if he was going to climb out of bed and escape their questions. Duke stopped him by wrapping both arms around him and tugging him down so that he was lying with his head in Duke's lap. "I think we've been together long enough that it's time we talked about this," Duke said firmly, trying not to sound aggressive at the same time. "We love you, Seto. We just want to help you with this, whatever it is."

Seto was silent for several moments as Duke stroked his hair and Ryou rubbed his knee, both gazing down at him in concern. He buried his face in the silk sheets, not even sure if he was going to tell them anything. Ryou sighed and lay down beside Seto, his head now resting in Duke's lap as well. He caressed Seto's cheek with his hand, making those sapphire eyes peek out from the sheets.

"Please, talk to us," Ryou begged softly.

Seto swallowed hard. "Gozaburo taught me himself. My education was of great interest to him. During lessons, he forced me to… to wear a dog collar. I was already a prodigy, but that wasn't good enough for him. Nothing was ever good enough for him." He inhaled deeply, trying to keep his emotions in check. "You already know that he was abusive, I just never told you how." Duke's jaw clenched as he remembered when he'd first found out.

* * *

 _"You used to cut?!" Duke exclaimed in shock as he pushed Seto's sleeve back even further. The brunette wrenched his arm free from Duke's hold and turned to leave, but Duke seized him by the shoulders and shoved him against the wall. The two glared at each other aggressively, Seto scowling and Duke sneering. "You cut."_

 _"It's in the past, and I'm not having this discussion." Seto attempted to push Duke away, but his boyfriend slammed him back against the wall._

 _"We_ are _going to talk about this, Seto. Right. Now." Duke growled in Seto's face, trying to impress upon him how much this mattered to Duke._

 _"Make me," Seto spat back, shoving Duke off and starting to stride away, starting to button up his sleeve cuffs. He cried out as Duke tackled him from behind, taking both of them to the floor as they wrestled. Duke, having the element of surprise on his side, was able to pin the broader man beneath him._

 _"Talk," Duke ordered, holding Seto's wrists pinned above his head, peeking down the sleeves at the white scars._

 _"No."_

 _"Seto, do not argue with me." Duke's eyes burned like the eyes of an avenging angel. "We are talking about this right now. When did it start and when did it end?"_

 _Seto lay beneath Duke in silence for a solid two minutes. When Duke began to unbutton Seto's cuffs again, he yanked his hands away in frustration. "It started when I was eleven," Seto ground out between his teeth. "It stopped when I was seventeen. Now let me go."_

 _"No." Duke pinned Seto's hands down again. "Why did you do it?"_

 _Seto's grinned in a way that Duke found frightening. The laughter that followed was even more disturbing. He listened to his boyfriend's maniacal cackling, waiting for it to die down._

 _"Why does anybody do anything?" came his cynical response, then his eyes grew cloudy, almost dead-looking. "Gozaburo Kaiba was a cold-hearted, abusive bastard. Is that enough of an answer for you?"_

 _It was. Duke felt his heart ache for Seto, unwilling to push him any further when he was clearly so uncomfortable talking about this. He leaned down and kissed him tenderly, but Seto was slow to respond. It took him a few minutes to warm up after reliving his long-term trauma._

 _"Why does it matter so much to you?" Seto murmured. He'd been confused by the ferocity of Duke's questioning._

 _"I had a friend in middle school once," the dice master admitted slowly. "He cut, but he never told me. One day he went too far. I found him dead in the bathroom stall at school."_

 _They sat together in silence for several minutes, kissing intermittently. "Can you get off of me now?" Seto asked, sounding disgruntled._

 _Duke obliged, saying, "I'm going to tell Ryou."_

 _"No you're not," Seto ordered._

 _"I'm not one of your employees, Seto," Duke countered. "And there are no secrets between the three of us."_

* * *

That was months ago, and Seto had made a lot of progress, both in terms of increasing candidness and decreasing aggression.

"He used to beat me when he was dissatisfied with my academic performance, then he would threaten me, saying that if I told anybody what he'd done, he'd hurt Mokuba. The beatings got worse as I got older, and he managed to break my ribs on more than one occasion." Seto took a deep breath to steady himself. "I started having night terrors a little while after the beatings started, and they never really stopped after that. Even when he was dead, I was still afraid of him, still trying to live up to his expectations." Ryou started to cry and embraced Seto tightly. "Please don't cry, Ryou," he muttered, always uncomfortable with the empath's tears.

"I have to," he whispered in answer. "You would never cry for yourself." It was true, they all knew it.

Duke gazed down on Seto with empathy. No, his father hadn't been abusive, but he understood what he meant about the pressure, the need to succeed. His own father had pushed Duke so far as to try and steal the Millennium Puzzle from Yugi, wanting his own son to solve it and become King of Games.

"My dad had high expectations for me too, though he wasn't nearly as bad as yours," Duke ventured cautiously. "I get what you mean about feeling him pressure you even though he's gone." Seto nodded, grateful that Duke at least somewhat understood. Ryou began crying harder, for both of them now. Duke and Seto glanced at each other, then put their arms around the weeping angel between them, who wiped his cheeks on the sheets in an attempt to hide his tears.

"Don't cry, Ryou," Duke murmured, kissing the pale forehead of his beloved. "We're all safe now, there's no need to cry anymore."

"I never really knew my father," Ryou choked out, and his lovers held him tighter, understanding now that he cried for all of them.


	5. Distress

For the first time, Duke was the first one of them to wake up. He usually thought there was little point in waking up so early when it wasn't necessary, but now he understood some of the appeal. He enjoyed watching his two lovers sleep so calmly together, slanted at a perpendicular angle across the bed just like himself. Watching them look so… peaceful was strange. Ryou was always feeling something, with his broad heart and sentimental sensitivity, which meant that he was never truly at peace when he was awake. Seto was always stressed or smirking or smug about something, but not when he was asleep like this. Duke leaned down and brushed his lips across Seto's, choosing to wake the troubled CEO in the sweetest way possible.

Seto was soon awake and tangling his tongue with Duke's. The kiss was hungry and heated, and they soon decided to take their intimacy elsewhere so as not to wake Ryou. If Ryou, the lightest sleeper of them all, was still asleep, it was because he needed it.

They managed to satisfy Seto's need for privacy and Duke's exhibitionism simultaneously by Duke sitting naked on the back porch's railing while Seto gave him head. Afterward, they retreated to the kitchen for their morning coffee and tea. Duke decided to take the opportunity to probe his mind for more information on his childhood.

"What was your step-father like most of the time?" he asked, eying his lover over the top of his mug.

Kaiba glanced over at the dice-master with a sour expression. He didn't like this line of questioning, hated the whole subject, but he was done hiding from them like he'd hidden from Gozaburo when he'd been little more than a weak child with a big brain. He wasn't going to hide from either of them anymore, and he wasn't going to lash out at Duke anymore each time he tried to help.

"When he wasn't abusing me, and even when he was, he was talking down to me, saying that I didn't deserve to run KaibaCorp, that I'd destroy the company if he gave me half the chance. He never let me do anything but schoolwork, not even on the weekends. I always had so much to do, I eventually just got used to it. It feels weird not to have an incredible amount of pressure on me at any given moment. I can still hear his voice sometimes. I still feel like I need to prove myself to him."

Duke was quiet for a moment, then reached out and took Seto's mug from him, causing the slightly older man to whine a little. He quickly replaced it with his own mug of peppermint tea. "You really do need to kick your caffeine addiction, Seto," Duke reprimanded gently. "Caffeine increases anxiety and insomnia, you know." He pulled Seto down so that he could kiss his forehead, and Seto leaned forward to nuzzle into Duke's neck. Duke pat him on the back with a smile, feeling powerful with the CEO at his mercy like this.

"Sometimes I'm afraid that I really have turned out to be just like him," Seto muttered, making Duke wince.

"You shouldn't talk about yourself like that, Seto." The sleep-laden voice carried through the still, languid morning air. Duke glanced up to look at the third member of their romance, seeing a very rumpled Ryou wearing Seto's sleepshirt—much too large for him—and Duke's discarded boxers from last night—closer to being his size. Duke found it incredibly endearing and invited Ryou to join their embrace with an extended arm. Ryou obliged and walked up to snuggle against them both, his hair a puffy mess.

"You do realize that if anybody else talked about you like that, I'd have to punch them in the face," Duke said with total honesty.

"I thought you were too smart to believe such horrible lies, Seto," Ryou added with a slight smirk he'd learned from the brunette.

Seto chuckled dryly, putting an arm around Ryou and pulling him in close to nibble at his ear. "You should wear our clothes more often," he muttered.

"How are you two always so horny?" Ryou asked sleepily, his eyes still half closed as his partners laughed.

"You say that like you don't keep up with us," Duke pointed out, looping an arm around Ryou's waist. "You seem pretty zonked out, man. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired," he muttered blearily, lifting a hand to rub at his eyes, then collapsing forward against the two of them, causing them both to cry out in alarm.

"Ryou, talk to me!" Seto demanded in panic, now fully awake as Duke gently lowered Ryou to the floor. Their angel was unconscious, and Seto found himself panicking more than he had ever panicked before. One moment Ryou was awake and fine, the next he was unconscious on the floor. It was so sudden, it sent a shock through his system. Duke was presently doing better to keep his cool. He had lifted Ryou's legs so that color could return to his blanched face. Seto didn't know what to do aside from sit beside Ryou and hold his hand, waiting for signs of life. When Ryou's eyes blinked open, Seto let out a sigh of relief.

"Don't you ever scare us like that again," Seto ordered as he scooped a confused Ryou into his arms. Duke continued to hold his legs up to ensure that proper blood-flow was restored. Ryou slowly put his arms around Seto, hugging him near.

"What happened?" he asked, unsure of how he'd gotten on the floor.

"You passed out," Duke informed him, his careful eyes watching every movement he made and every breath he took. Something wasn't right. Duke looked at Seto, who returned the look of serious concern. "We should call a doctor."

"What? No, I'm fine," Ryou immediately insisted, and both of them looked at him dubiously.

"You just passed out. I didn't know that was normal for you to do first thing in the morning." Seto's harsh tone was cutting, but it was also his way of expressing how much he cared in stressful situations. Ryou knew better than to be off-put by it.

"No, but I have sensitive blood sugar, you know that. We had dinner a little early yesterday, I woke up late this morning, and I was tired after last night." He spoke calmly, smiling sympathetically at the two of them as he noticed that they both looked rather unconvinced. "I've told you this before, you know. Really, I _am_ fine. I'm sorry if I worried you."

Duke finally lowered Ryou's legs carefully to the floor, then moved to sit on Ryou's other side so that he could also embrace him. He nuzzled Ryou's cheek and murmured, "Don't you ever scare us like that again," echoing Seto's earlier words. The brunette kissed Ryou's other cheek, then stood and parted with the other two reluctantly, returning with a glass of orange juice which he handed to Ryou.

"Try to be more careful next time, okay?" he whispered, kissing Ryou's forehead one last time before he began to make breakfast for the three of them. Duke sat with Ryou on the floor until he'd finished the glass, then he helped him stand, even though it wasn't necessary. This seemed to bother Ryou, though.

"I'm not made of glass, Duke. I can take care of myself, you know. I did a pretty decent job of it for the past ten years," he snapped irritably, in a very un-Ryou-like manner. Duke lifted an eyebrow to stare at him for a moment before lifting Ryou in his arms and throwing him over his shoulder, despite Ryou's protests.

"You are my damsel in distress, and I am—Hey!" Duke cried out as he found himself under assault.

"I am _not_ a damsel!" Ryou shouted indignantly from where he hung upside down.

"Geez, did you have to bite me so hard?" Duke asked, rubbing his ass with his free hand.

Ryou smirked as mischief danced in his chocolate eyes, responding in an all-too innocent voice, "My apologies. I thought you were into that sort of thing." Seto couldn't help but laugh out loud.


	6. Abduction

**Author's Notes:** Ready for the plot, ladies and gents? Don't worry, the smutty fluff won't be lost, but we get some angstiness too now. It's all for a reason, I promise!

* * *

They actually managed to survive together in Kaiba's summer-house without going crazy for another whole week. Only a few more days until they had to go back to Domino, to work, to life. At least they wouldn't be losing each other when they went back. At least, that's what they'd thought, until Seto received an urgent phone-call that threw him entirely off-balance.

"Mr. Kaiba, sir?" Roland had said hesitantly into the phone.

"What is it, Roland? It had better be pretty damn important for you to be interrupting my vacation," Seto had growled into the phone, unaware of what was about to come next.

"It's your brother, sir. Mokuba Kaiba's been kidnapped." Seto felt his knees go weak, and he dropped himself into a nearby chair as he stared with unfocused eyes at the wall in his line of vision. "We've already called in your private task-force to investigate, and I'll update you the moment we find anything new, sir."

"I'm coming home, now," Seto snapped, his mind jumping back into motion as Duke and Ryou glanced over at him from the couch, both concerned. He ended the call more forcefully than was necessary, then stood and strode quickly to their shared bedroom, shouting behind him: "Mokuba's been kidnapped. I have to go back to figure out who's taken him this time and what it is they want from me." He went straight to his closet and began to pack his things as quickly and efficiently as possible. While he was thinking about how much of a delay there would be between now and the time he finally landed in Domino—and all the opportunities there were for Mokuba to get hurt—Ryou glomped him from behind, hugging him warmly as Duke slid in to join the embrace from the front.

"We're going back with you," Ryou announced, sounding determined. "We want to help as much as we possibly can, even if it means that all we can do is be there with you and tell you that everything's alright until we actually do get Mokuba back."

Seto knew better than to argue with Ryou when he'd taken up a cause in a bout of passion. "Alright, pack quickly. We need to get out of here as quickly as possible."

* * *

While Seto flew them all back to Domino in his Blue-Eyes jet with Ryou and Duke sharing the backseat, he received an incoming voice message that his people said was from the kidnappers.

"If you ever want to see your little brother alive again, you will get KaibaCorp producing military vehicles and combat-quality explosives within the next twenty-four hours. If you do not meet this deadline, someone you love will die." The message ended there, the voice clearly computer-altered, and Seto felt his blood slowly turn to ice.

Mokuba was no longer the only one he loved. He loved Ryou and Duke too, now, which meant that they, like Mokuba, were now in danger because of him. As Seto played the message over and over through his headset—keeping the information to himself—his warm heart began to feel like stone again. Duke and Ryou remained silent, both of them worried for the Kaiba brothers.

* * *

As soon as they landed, Seto was barking orders at his employees, asking for coffee, for Ryou and Duke to be put under heavy security, for someone to come and tell him who screwed up and allowed Mokuba to get snatched. Soon, his lovers were left far behind, being taken to their apartment under the protection of three buff body guards. They were safe, and that meant one less thing to worry about at the moment.

Someone'd managed to trace the call from the kidnappers and found the number that had called them. It was a burn phone with a temporary number that meant nothing, but at least they had a chance of contacting them now. Seto's experts had conceived and detailed every likely scenario from this point forward and were planning accordingly. He could comply to their demands, he could attempt to steal Mokuba back without attempting to comply, or he could try to negotiate with them.

The last thing he wanted was to have anything to do with the weapons, the war, or the machines Gozaburo had invented for the sake of mass destruction. Meek compliance was not an option, not for Seto Kaiba.

The deadline they'd given him hadn't been enough time to put together a rescue mission with the limited knowledge they'd had to work with. Though they'd managed to trace the source of the call, it had led his people to an abandoned lot that looked like it had recently been used for a helicopter landing and take-off. That was not enough to go on if he was going to rescue Mokuba with his own resources. He'd grudgingly allowed the police to aid in the investigation, but they were proving to be equally futile, unable to find a viable candidate in the list of helicopters that had legally passed through the area at that time.

Hours were ticking away much too quickly, and Seto found himself drinking more caffeine in that day alone than he had in the past week and a half. He tried calling the number when he finally came up with enough convincing bait that he believed could satisfy them until he knew enough to take Mokuba back by force.

"I'm willing to give you all of the information we have concerning the former products of the Kaiba Corporation in exchange for my brother." He sounded calm, assertive, and confident. There were several long moments of silence.

"You must update and reprogram all of the materials and software before they are considered acceptable substitutes for finished products."

"I need more time to update everything," Seto said firmly. "Give me an extra twelve hours."

"The deadline shall not change. You have seventeen hours and twenty-one minutes left to deliver the materials to the location you're tracing this call to even as we speak. If you fail to do so, your loved ones will suffer." A pause, then Seto heard Mokuba calling his name, sounding both panicked and pained. That sent Seto into overdrive. They hung up, leaving him with no choice but to agree. He hated being manipulated.

* * *

"Do you think Seto's alright?" Ryou asked Duke as he nestled against Duke's bare chest, eyelids drooping as he fought the urge to sleep. "I'm worried about him. And Mokuba. Can you imagine what would happen to Seto if"—he smothered a yawn with his hand—"If something were to happen to Mokuba?"

"Yes, we'd need to drag him kicking and screaming into therapy so that he doesn't get even more screwed up than he already is," Duke answered with a laugh, then kissed his partner's forehead. "Now go to sleep, my angel, and worry no more."

Ryou's eyes closed, but he was still awake. He giggled after a moment, kissing the spot over Duke's heart. "I only ever hear you wax poetic when we're in bed, Duke. Why?"

"Your beauty makes me think of higher things, like fairies and immortality," was all he said in answer to the question, tucking Ryou more securely against his chest and settling himself more comfortably against the pillows. "Now sleep, my darling, and I'll be with you in your dreams."

They didn't get to see or speak with Seto all the next morning, which Ryou found to be discouraging. In an effort to cheer him up and get his mind off of things, Duke took him downtown for lunch. He needed to see Ryou smile; that was how Duke kept faith in times of trouble.

* * *

Seto worked tirelessly for hours on end, never resting for one moment, not even for the time it would have taken him to eat. He just had to absorb as much caffeine and focus into his system as physically possible. Even when he delegated a sizable portion of the work to eligible employees, they still weren't completely ready in time. The CEO decided that they would simply deliver all of the materials—updated or not—to the kidnappers as they were and hope they were enough to earn Mokuba's freedom.

Of course, he did have the spot under surveillance and he'd tried to have an ambush set for them, but all of Seto's men were taken out by snipers with tranquilizers before the copter arrived. Seto began to feel nauseous as he awaited the inevitable phone-call. It wasn't from the kidnappers, though. It was from Duke.

"Seto, Ryou's in the hospital."


	7. Poison

Duke sat at Ryou's bedside and held his hand, feeling like he was living a nightmare. The plan had been to go out for lunch before going to visit Seto at the office. They'd just bought milkshakes, and Ryou was almost finished with his when he passed out, unable to breathe, his lips blue. Kaiba's guards had called the hospital and were rushing an ambulance before Duke could even fully process what was happening.

The doctors at the hospital had stabilized Ryou's breathing with some kind of tube down his throat, then drew blood to run tests and determine what had caused this. It was at this point that Duke—still in shock—finally thought to call Seto and tell him what was happening.

"Seto, Ryou's in the hospital." He was looking at it, he was saying it, but he still had a hard time believing it. There was silence on the other end. "Seto, please come." His voice broke and he inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself down.

"I'll be there soon," Seto said finally, his voice sounding all too close to the tones he _only_ used whenever he was worried about Mokuba. Granted, he probably was, but Ryou being in trouble didn't do him any good either.

"Is there any news of your brother?" he asked, wishing to hear something good.

"No." Seto spoke quietly and hung up without saying another word. Duke pressed the back of Ryou's hand to his lips as he watched the machine help his boyfriend breathe.

* * *

Seto left immediately to visit them at the hospital, feeling guilty in every moment that passed during the commute. He kept his cell phone close at hand as he waited for the kidnappers to call again. At least, he hoped that they would. If they didn't, that might mean bad things for Mokuba. When he reached Ryou's hospital room, he was faced with the reality of Ryou's imminent death. After all, that was what they'd said: one of his loved ones would die. As soon as he walked into the room, Duke was on his feet and wrapping his arms around Seto. He was shaking, and Seto slowly wrapped his arms around him in return. As worried and scared as Seto was, he still felt very cold inside.

"They said it was cyanide poisoning," Duke choked out. "I don't know how this could have happened…" He didn't have the heart to tell Duke that Seto was the one to blame. "They're doing everything they can, but they don't know if he's going to pull through." Seto's arms tightened around Duke.

"He will. I promise. He will." Seto wasn't a doctor, no, but he'd never be able to live with himself if Ryou died. Ryou couldn't die. He wouldn't allow it. "I'll have my people investigate it, see if they can find out who did this."

Then Seto's cell phone rang, and he reached for it immediately. He saw the flicker of irritation on Duke's face and kissed his cheek. "It might be about Mokuba," he said in explanation, and Duke nodded, understanding, and pulled away, returning to Ryou's side while Seto answered the phone.

"Your work was less than satisfactory, Mr. Kaiba," that computerized voice informed him, and Seto scowled fiercely, stepping out into the hallway for some privacy. "If you can rectify your errors, your boyfriends and your brother just might make it out alive."

"Do you really think you can get away with threatening and hurting them and not pay the price for it?" Seto ground out, furious. He grit his teeth, using every ounce of his self-control to keep himself from yelling profanities into the phone. How the hell did this man know about Duke and Ryou? He kept that piece of information out of the media and out of the public eye, knowing that there was a good chunk of consumers who would disapprove and possibly boycott KaibaCorp products as a result.

"Yes." The smug response was almost enough to make Seto lose his temper. "I have so far, haven't I?"

"What do I need to do to get my brother back?" Seto asked at last, turning to look through the window into Ryou's room.

"Like I said, correct your errors. Complete the process of updating your step-father's inventions within the next three hours, and he just might turn up somewhere in the streets of Domino. Fail this time, and Mr. Bakura won't live to see another day." The call ended, and Seto turned to walk briskly out of the building. He had to get back to KaibaCorp immediately to finish the work. He didn't have time to say goodbye or to tell Duke where he was going. He still didn't want him or Ryou knowing about the kidnapper's demands or threats.

Ryou. Seto's heart ached to think of losing him, but he steeled himself as he climbed into his mustang and began to drive as quickly as possible back to the office. This whole thing was so weird to Seto. They'd kidnapped Mokuba, and yet they were threatening Ryou, and they'd poisoned Ryou, for that matter. This was a nightmare, but he planned on waking up from it very soon.

* * *

It occurred to Duke to call Yugi and the others to tell them what had happened. It was nice not to have to sit all alone with his fears and his dying lover.

"Where's Kaiba?" Yugi asked Duke once they'd all been filled in on the details. They all knew that the three of them were in a relationship, and though they didn't understand it, they didn't question it or ask for details. The three of them seemed solid, and as long as things were good among them, they minded their own business.

"Mokuba was kidnapped yesterday. They're still working to get him back, but he won't tell us any details. That's why he gave us bodyguards;"—he nodded towards the two buff agents in the room that were currently being harassed by Joey; the third was standing outside the room by the door—"He's just a bit paranoid right now. _We_ don't know who took Mokuba or why, and I don't know if Seto knows." Worry creased Duke's forehead as he frowned. "I'm starting to wonder if Ryou being poisoned has anything to do with whoever took his brother."

"Well, people don't _tend_ to eat cyanide by accident," Tea pointed out. She'd seemed uncharacteristically prickly ever since their group arrived at the hospital, but Duke didn't have the emotional or mental energy to spare on her right now. He was already scared for Ryou, Mokuba, and Seto, and he hadn't a thought to spare on her. He decided to just attribute her behavior to hormones.

"Seto was here a little over an hour ago. The doctors said that Ryou's looking a little better, and I wanted to let him know, but he turned his cell phone off and I can't get through to him using his work number." Duke sighed, rubbing at the side of his head as a stress head-ache pounded through his brain. "I hope nothing's happened to _him_ now."

Yugi thought for a moment, then stood. "I'll go check in on him for you and let him know." _And apologize for letting his brother get taken_ , Yugi added bitterly in his own mind. He blamed himself for losing Mokuba as well, even though there was no real reason for him to do so. Even so, he still felt like he owed Kaiba at least that much.


	8. Time Bomb

Yugi had heard Seto Kaiba called a genius before. As a child prodigy who received a vigorous education, one would expect him to be a genius, but Yugi had never truly experienced it first-hand before now. The moment he entered Kaiba's office, he was shocked. Seto was writing chalk equations with both hands along two, large, wheeled blackboards, his tie and jacket discarded on the chair usually occupied by Mokuba, his sleeves rolled up, his black suit-pants smudged with chalk dust, but he didn't seem to care. He didn't pause or turn to look when Yugi entered, simply demanded in a brusque tone, "What do you want? Make it quick, I'm busy."

"Ryou's in the hospital, and you're in here _working_?" Yugi was astounded; last he'd heard, Seto had changed his ways and begun to place more value on human life and personal relationships, but the way he was acting right now, it was hard to believe. Seto left the chalkboards and turned to the table behind him, one cluttered with papers, apparently looking for something on one of them.

"What do you want?" Seto demanded again without looking up. "If you're just going to stand there and say stupid things, I'll have you thrown out."

"Kaiba, you look like crap." Yugi was appalled by Seto's state, now that he could see his face: the dark circles under his eyes, the messy state of his hair. When had he last slept?

"This is your last warning, Yugi: King of Games or not, if you don't get to the point, I _will_ call security." Kaiba was highly irritable right now, which Yugi found to be somewhat understandable, though he still resented Kaiba for his attitude.

"Duke was worried about you, said that you'd turned your cell phone off. He wanted me to tell you that Ryou's doing better. He's responding to treatment, and the doctors say he should be able to breathe on his own soon."

"Hm." Seto turned from the table of papers to the laptop on a side table, his fingers typing furiously as if his life depended on it. Yugi took advantage of the moment to move between his work surfaces and get a better look at his project. He didn't understand a lot of the words he read, but they seemed mostly like complex chemical compounds. The diagrams detailing the chemical bonds and reactions didn't make any sense either, but among the equations on the chalkboard and the papers on the table, Yugi was able to pick out words here and there that he understood: trajectory, blast radius, shrapnel dispersion. Then something clicked in Yugi's mind.

"You're… building a bomb?" he asked in disbelief. That elicited a reaction from Seto, but it wasn't quite what Yugi had been hoping for.

The CEO whirled around, seized Yugi by the front of his shirt, and growled, "This is the last thing I want to be doing, Yugi, but if I can't finish upgrading and redesigning the plans and blueprints of Gozaburo's weapons and machines, then whoever has Mokuba _will_ kill Bakura and I can't afford to waste a single moment. I have less than two hours before the deadline, so don't continue to waste my time." Seto dropped Yugi the moment he finished speaking and went straight back to his laptop to continue typing.

Yugi was silent for a few moments, processing all that he'd said. Seto didn't _want_ to be improving upon the destructive creations of his step-father; he'd always hated how the founder of KaibaCorp had unscrupulously profited off of the horrors of war. "So, Mokuba's kidnappers are the ones who poisoned Ryou," he observed out loud, realizing as he did so that Duke must not know anything about this. "Did you tell Ryou and Duke that the—"

"No." Seto cut him off as he returned to the blackboards and began erasing everything on them, moving on to analyze the weaknesses of the KC32 armored tank. He needed to eliminate the weaknesses without introducing new ones. "Only a select few people know what they've been demanding. I gave Duke and Ryou armed bodyguards before I even knew for sure that they were in danger, and I didn't think it necessary to take further action once I knew that they were. They don't need to know. It would only cause them more distress."

"And you can't figure ou—"

"I had my best people working on it from the start, and I've let the police help as well, but neither have uncovered anything useful. I have no option but to meet their demands and hope they hold up their end of the bargain." As Yugi stewed over this, Seto looked at him over his shoulder and glared at him threateningly. "If you should tell anybody even part of what I've told you just now, so help me, Yugi, I will—"

"Seto." Yugi never called Kaiba by his first name, so to hear the word spoken so calmly by his arch-rival was enough to shut him up. "I promise that I won't tell anybody. After all, it might put Mokuba and Ryou in even more danger if I did, and none of us want that. You can trust me." Seto regarded him with a cool, analytical kind of respect—as if he were wary about placing explicit trust in the other man, though he'd already implicitly done so by telling him anything at all—then nodded and returned to the chalkboards, diagramming what Yugi could only guess to be some kind of war machine.

If there were ever a nonverbal cue to leave, that would be it. Yugi walked to the door and paused as he was about to open the door. "You'll get your brother back, Kaiba. I believe in you." No response to that. He sighed and left, the secret weighing heavy on his heart.

* * *

Seto waited restlessly in the back of the limo as he drank yet another black coffee and waited for the fateful phone call. When his cell did ring, he answered it with nervous speed.

"He's on the corner of Fayette and Bellerose," was all that was said before he hung up. Seto gave the location to his driver, telling him to hurry. When the limo arrived at its destination, Seto burst from the car and looked around. No Mokuba in sight, but there was a narrow alleyway a couple dozen feet away. He ducked inside it, figuring that if he was going to abandon a child in an inconspicuous place, an alley would serve as a good place to do so. He let out a sigh of relief and rushed towards his brother's small, huddled form at the base of vandalized brick wall.

"Seto!" the child called as he looked up and saw his brother approaching. Seto scooped Mokuba up into his arms and hugged him tightly, Mokuba returning the embrace and clinging to his brother with arms and legs like a black bear to a tree trunk.

"You're alright," Seto murmured, almost to assure himself as much as to assure his little brother. "You're safe now. Everything's going to be alright." His eyes watered, but he blinked the tears away, telling himself that he was only weak because he'd been awake for almost forty-five consecutive hours and his body was no longer adapted to such sleep deprivation, though it had been over a year ago. "I'm so sorry that I wasn't there to protect you," he choked out, burying his face in Mokuba's long hair. Mokuba started to cry out of sheer relief as Seto carried him back to the limo. Roland looked relieved to see that the younger Kaiba was safe and sound, and quietly let Master Seto's elite forces know that the victim had been successfully recovered.

Mokuba stayed in Seto's arms for several minutes, his head nestled against his brother's shoulder, his chest, his lap. It was only after almost ten minutes that Seto noticed something around Mokuba's neck: a dog collar. He felt the color leave his face as he took a moment to stare, then reached down and carefully removed it. As he did so, Mokuba's tired eyes opened.

"Oh, I almost forgot I was still wearing that," he muttered. "They loosened it right before they let me go, and I forgot to take it off." Once it was off, Seto could see how it had chaffed his brother's neck, just as Seto's neck had been chafed so many years ago. He threw the collar onto the floor in disgust, cradling Mokuba in his arms once more, trying to hide the way his hands trembled.

"Did they hurt you anywhere else?" Seto asked, anxiety nibbling at the corners of his mind like mice devouring the pages of an old book. Mokuba made a strange expression as he hesitated, then lifted the hem of his shirt to reveal bruising. Seto thought he was going to be sick.


	9. Surprise

_**"I've had more important things to do than eat and sleep," Seto muttered in answer as he  
ripped opened the cellophane packaging. "I had to get Mokuba back."**_

* * *

After reacquiring Mokuba, Seto went straight to the hospital Ryou was staying at, texting Duke to let him know that he'd be arriving soon. He adjusted the bandanna that Mokuba wore around his neck so that it hid the marks the collar had made. He didn't want to have to explain to anybody what they were from, and he didn't want Mokuba to have to explain them either. He was in no mood to be answering stupid questions, like why were there chalk smudges on his pants, why was he shaking, when was the last time he'd slept, and other stupid things that he had no patience for.

When they arrived, Seto first sought out a nurse to do a brief, preliminary examination of his brother, just to make sure that he was as fine as he seemed. He was, which was a great relief, and Seto slipped the nurse a fifty as he thanked her for her discretion, then took Mokuba by the hand and led him to where Duke and Yugi still sat vigil over their dear friend.

"Mokuba, you're alright!" Yugi cried. Duke was too relieved to even speak at first. Seto released his brother's hand so that the child could hug Yugi first and then Duke. The dice-master not only hugged him, but pulled him onto his lap and held him comfortingly.

"How's Ryou?" Seto asked before either of his acquaintances could ask about who had taken his brother or how they'd gotten him back.

"Doing really well," Duke answered, looking almost happy. "The doctors say that he should be waking up any minute now. Assuming no further complications, he'll be well enough to come home tomorrow."

"That's good," Seto said, leaning against the wall as he stood by the door.

"What happened to Ryou?" Mokuba asked, confused and worried. Duke hesitated, unsure of what to tell him, and was saved by the CEO.

"He accidentally ate something that was very bad for him," Seto said simply. "It made him sick, but he's going to be fine." He crossed his arms over his chest, all too conscious of the way his hands shook against his will.

"I'm hungry," Mokuba announced in that moment, thus drawing all the attention to himself.

"I'll take you to the cafeteria downstairs so we can get you some food," Yugi offered quickly, thinking that the other three might want some time alone. Seto nodded his thanks as Yugi left with Mokuba in tow, his rival being almost as protective of the child as Seto himself was.

"You're shaking," Duke said. He'd noticed it a little earlier, but had decided to spare Seto the embarrassment of saying anything in front of the others.

"Am not," Seto grumbled, tucking his hands under his upper arms and out of sight.

"When did you last sleep?" Duke asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Italy."

"When did you last eat?"

"Italy."

"How many cups of coffee did you drink today?"

Seto shrugged. He hadn't cared enough at the time to count them, which was just as good an answer as Duke's interpretation of the shrug: _Too many cups, enough that you'd be mad if I told you how many._

Duke sighed in exasperation and finally stood to approach his lover, treating him to a warm embrace. "One of these days, Seto, you will realize that you aren't as indestructible as you think you are." His partner just grunted at that, though, having all but collapsed against the other, his eyes closed as exhaustion finally started to sink in. Duke rubbed his back, silent for a little bit, then asked, "Is Mokuba okay? Did anything happen to him while he was… gone?"

Seto let out a tired sigh that sounded like it was half groan. "They hurt him, but nothing's broken. I've never seen him this shaken up after a kidnapping before, though. I'm going to let the police ask him about it tomorrow, but I'll let him rest until then. I don't want them upsetting him even more."

Although Duke felt like he ought to disagree with Seto's decision, he couldn't argue with his reasons for making it, and thus chose to hold his tongue over the matter. A sound from behind made them break apart and look towards the bed, where their beloved was awaking.

"Where am I?" were the first words that passed his lips, but he didn't get the chance to say more as both men stumbled towards the bed to embrace him, one of them on either side of the bed.

"You're in the hospital on Matton avenue," Duke answered, Seto kissing Bakura's pale cheek. "The doctors say you were poisoned with cyanide, and they want to keep you overnight to make sure that everything's fine."

As Seto released Ryou, he reached back and pulled one of the chairs towards the bed so that he could sit closer to Ryou.

"Did we find Mokuba yet?" Ryou asked, demonstrating with certainty that he hadn't been left with temporary retrograde amnesia after passing out the way he had. That was a good sign.

"We just got him back," Seto said as he gave the Brit's smaller hand a squeeze. "He's going to be alright, but I still have to figure out who took him. They're not going to get away with it." At that moment, Duke tossed Seto a granola bar from across the bed.

"Eat that before you pass out," he ordered, making Ryou look at the two of them with confusion, which Duke quickly cured: "Seto hasn't eaten since before we left Italy." He glared at the brunette with disapproval.

"I've had more important things to do than eat and sleep," Seto muttered in answer as he ripped opened the cellophane packaging. "I had to get Mokuba back."

Duke's expression didn't change, but Ryou's face softened into an understanding smile, the one that Seto hadn't realized how much he'd missed in the past two days. "It's alright, it's only natural for you to work so hard at getting your brother back," he said sweetly, pulling Seto closer for a moment so that he could kiss the top of his head. Seto smiled weakly back—another thing he hadn't done since Italy—and obediently ate the granola bar while Ryou began to ask Duke questions about how long he'd been unconscious and what had happened while he was out. When they next turned their attention back to Seto, it was to discover that after he had finished eating, he'd fallen asleep sitting up, then slumped forward with his face pressed into the sheets on the edge of the bed.

"I'm guessing he really needs it," Ryou remarked, content to see him at peace, and was then distracted by a nurse who'd brought him a dinner of his own.

* * *

When Yugi and Mokuba returned to the room, Seto was still asleep and Ryou had finished eating. Mokuba went straight to Ryou, climbing up onto the bed so that he could give him a proper hug. They were both delighted to see each other, since they'd both known enough to worry about the other. Ryou let Mokuba sit on the bed between him and the side where Duke was sitting, not wanting to disturb Seto.

Yugi was amused to see the arrogant, powerful, overconfident businessman asleep in a chair. It did much to humanize him. "I thought he looked tired," he remarked good-naturedly, then turned to Mokuba. "If he's this tired, perhaps it's time you two went home so that you can both sleep properly." Mokuba was tired too after his whole ordeal. His captors been thoroughly unkind, which included depriving the child of sleep.

"Much as I hate to see you leave, I have to agree," Ryou said with a sigh, smoothing down Mokuba's hair affectionately before he leaned over and pushed on Seto's shoulder gently in a vain attempt to wake him up. Duke called his name, but no response.

"I can wake him up!" Mokuba said suddenly, hopping off of the bed and standing beside his brother's chair. He leaned forward and whispered something very quietly into his brother's ear, then immediately pulled back in anticipation of the way his brother started a moment later, jerking immediately into a sitting position and looking around for a moment. He blinked a few times, then his eyes settled on Mokuba with a stern, half-hearted glare. The child smiled back apologetically, and Ryou noted the exchange with curiosity. Seto stood and stretched for a moment before lifting Mokuba into his arms.

"It's time that we were heading home," he said casually, as if he hadn't just been napping in a public building. "We'll be back tomorrow." He raised a hand in farewell, Mokuba vocalizing his goodbyes as Seto carried him away.

"What did Mokuba say to wake him up?" Yugi asked the other remaining two once Seto was gone.

"I have no idea," Duke answered honestly. "I am a bit curious, though."

"That's one of the wonderful things about Seto," Ryou said with a soft smile and a blush. "He never stops surprising you."


	10. Trust

Seto took the day off for the sake of accompanying Mokuba to the police station that morning, letting them question his brother to get all of the information out of him that they could in order to find his kidnapper. He'd talked to his brother after breakfast beforehand, though, finally asking to hear for himself what had happened.

It was painful and disturbing for Seto to hear Mokuba describe an experience much too close to what Gozaburo had done to Seto: the collar, the beating, the way they'd avoided any damage to his face. Gozaburo had done the same thing to Seto, so that if he followed orders, nobody would know what had happened unless he spoke up, and Gozaburo knew that Seto wouldn't breathe a word of his abuse to anybody. It was too close to be a coincidence. Seto Kaiba did not believe in coincidences. He didn't have an explanation for it yet, but he wouldn't rest until he did.

When he sat Mokuba down in the garden that morning, he'd felt a chill in his bones despite the summer heat. Side by side they sat on a wrought iron bench facing the Koi pond in the middle of the hedge maze. As Mokuba told his story, there were moments when he had intense difficulty getting out the words. Seto put his arm around Mokuba's shoulders and drew him close to his side, comforting him with his presence as best he could. When he was done, Seto moved to stand, but Mokuba reached out and grabbed his sleeve to stop him from walking away. Seto looked down at his brother's troubled face.

"Seto? Why didn't you want me to say anything about this to Duke or the others at the hospital last night?" Seto sighed and got down on one knee in front of his brother, hoping that he could find the right words.

"Pain is a sign of weakness. If a bad person sees you in pain, they'll exploit the fact and take advantage of you. You need to be strong, Mokuba. You don't show people when you're in pain, unless they're someone that you trust with your life."

"Who do you trust with your life?" Mokuba asked after thinking over his words for a few moments.

"I trust you," he answered honestly. "I trust Ryou, and I trust Duke, and I trust Roland, to a degree. I only trust a few people, Mokuba, but it's okay to trust a few more than I do. You need to figure out who it is that _you_ trust."

"I trust you," Mokuba said immediately. He thought for a few more moments. "I trust Ryou and Duke too. I trust Yugi, and Roland, and Joey, and Tristan, and Tea." Mokuba formed his list slowly, thoughtfully. His brother had impressed upon him that this was a serious issue, and he was taking this as seriously as he should be.

"And why _do_ you trust those people?" Seto asked. "It's important to know why you trust them, so that you can know for sure that they're worthy of your trust."

"I trust you because you're my brother," Mokuba answered, feeling like he didn't need any more reason than that, not when it came to Seto. "I trust Tristan because he saved me from the Evil Bakura when Pegasus stole my soul. I trust Tea because she helped me escape when Marik kidnapped me. I trust Duke and Ryou because you trust them too, and because they're kind of like my brothers. I trust Yugi because he's a good person who's repeatedly put himself in danger in order to protect not only the ones he cares about, but also strangers and innocents. I trust Roland because he's always been there to look out for us, ever since we got adopted."

"And why do you trust Joey?" Seto asked, feeling a twinge of amusement.

"I don't know…" Mokuba answered. "Maybe it's because Yugi trusts him, and the way he protects his little sister and his friends shows that he has a noble heart."

Seto smirked and rumpled Mokuba's hair. "I suppose even mutts have their good points," he commented with a chuckle, making Mokuba laugh as well. "Sometimes, though, there are people that we have to trust whether we want to or not, like the police. That's where we're going now. You're going to tell them everything that happened and answer all of their questions so that they can catch the bad guys. Then, when we're done with the police we'll go see Ryou and Duke at the hospital. Okay?"

Mokuba nodded, and it relieved Seto to see him smile again. Seto stood and so did Mokuba. Seto, hand on his brother's shoulder, guided him back into the house.

* * *

Ryou was in the process of being signed out of the hospital when the Kaibas arrived. Seto gave them all a ride to Duke and Ryou's shared apartment where Duke made lunch for the four of them. They talked and laughed, and Seto realized that he'd needed this: for things to feel normal again, for them all to be discussing mundane matters of little importance.

It was on that day that Seto finally asked Duke and Ryou to move into the mansion with him. Ryou getting poisoned had awakened him to the fact that life was short, they were safer living with him, and he was ready to demonstrate more substantially his commitment to them. They both said yes, of course. They'd been expecting this, anticipating it eagerly. It meant that they were all able to celebrate life together, like Mokuba's thirteenth birthday, Seto's twenty-second birthday, Ryou's twentieth birthday—the youngest of them now finally no longer a teenager—and their one-year anniversary.

In the weeks and months that followed the whole incident, nothing else happened to Ryou or Mokuba or Duke. The police still couldn't find Mokuba's kidnappers, who hadn't contacted Seto since they told him where they'd dumped his little brother. Seto kept waiting for the events of that day—the way he'd given so much dangerous information to people who were clearly hardened criminals—to come back and bite him in the ass. Surely there would be consequences to his actions. Surely something was going to happen that would make him regret what he'd done. Besides, he was still disturbed by the fact that Mokuba had been mistreated in Gozaburo's style of abuse. The more time that passed, though, the more he gradually began to relax and let the matter slip his mind. He tried to enjoy himself with those who were dear to him, instead of worrying about improbabilities. He let Duke put an end to his workaholism. He let Ryou talk him out of his caffeine addiction. Life was good, better than it had ever been.


	11. Summer

**Author Notes:** Now it's time for a fluffy verbal montage of cute moments before the hard-core angsting begins! Please enjoy these little peeks into the delicious lifestyle of these three sexy men (and Mokuba). [This is part one of two of these verbal montages. Remember, all the events of the story up until now have taken place in June.]

* * *

 **JULY:**

"Hey, Mokuba," Duke said as the two of them played _Five Nights At Freddy's 2_ on the plasma screen in the entertainment room.

"Yeah Duke?" he answered before taking another bite of his giant chocolate chip cookie.

"Do you remember when Ryou was in the hospital a couple months ago, and Seto fell asleep in the chair by Ryou's bed?"

"Yeah, what about it?" he mumbled around his mouthful of cookie. They both yelped in terror at the game.

"Remember when you whispered something in his ear to wake him up?"

"Yeah. Watch out for the duck!"

Duke paused in his speech, though not in the game. "What did you say to him that woke him up?" He glanced over at Mokuba for a brief moment before returning his focus to the game. The battery was almost out on their security cameras, and he wasn't sure they were capable of beating the level at this point. Mokuba's prolonged silence had just started to worry Duke when he spoke again.

"I told him that Gozaburo was coming," he said quietly. "When we were little, our step-father didn't let us see each other very much. He always had Seto doing schoolwork or learning new languages, and I almost never got to see him. Back then I used to be scared of sleeping alone, so sometimes Seto would sneak into my room at night so that I wouldn't have to. Sometimes he overslept. Well, a lot of times," Mokuba admitted. Duke could imagine how tired a child would be when forced to work so hard; he didn't blame him at all for oversleeping. He probably wasn't getting enough sleep even so.

"The first time Gozaburo found out that Seto wasn't in his room the next morning, he was _really_ angry." Mokuba paused, fidgeting a little before he continued. "Seto didn't stop coming to see me, but he was _always_ really tired and I had to wake him up all the time so that he wouldn't get in trouble. Back then he was scared of Gozaburo, so that's what I had to say to get his attention and wake him up, and it still works. I try not to do it too often though, because it always upsets him."

"What was Gozaburo like when—Ahhhh!" They both yelled as the evil animatronic bunny killed their character. Again. "Maybe next time, we shouldn't play this game in the dark this late at night," Duke observed, his heart still racing. "Besides, I should get you to bed. You may be a teenager now, but your brother didn't want you staying up too late while he was in Beijing on his trip."

"Yeah," Mokuba said in agreement, then smiled slyly. "Can we play _Slender: The Eight Pages_ tomorrow night?"

Duke smiled, unable to help himself. "Of course!"

* * *

 **AUGUST:**

"It was just a nightmare, Moki," Ryou murmured as he carried the child he considered to be a brother back to his bedroom. Mokuba clung more tightly to his friend's neck, burying his face against his chest as he tried to block out the memory of his dream. Ryou had found Mokuba in the hallways, heading for his brother's room, but Ryou had intercepted him before he could interrupt Duke and Seto.

When they reached Mokuba's room, Ryou carried him to the bed and tucked him in, reassuring him with gentle words and a forehead kiss.

"Don't leave, Ryou," Mokuba whispered, eyes wide with fright. Ryou sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, stroking the child's hair.

"I won't, Mokuba. You're safe here," he whispered. Ryou ended up cuddling with Mokuba under the sheets, white hair mingling with black as he offered comfort in the form of a lullaby. He ended up putting them both to sleep with it.

He woke up to the feeling of Seto's lips brushing across his face, the ticklish sensation making him laugh.

"Just because Duke and I were in bed didn't mean that you had to sleep in _here_ ," Seto whispered teasingly, as if he thought Ryou were shy or embarrassed—which he wasn't.

"That's not what—ah!—not what… happened," Ryou gasped out, trying to keep his voice low so as not to wake Mokuba, but Seto was making it hard. The brunette chuckled hotly against his neck.

"Don't be so nervous," Seto whispered, clearly amused, sliding his arms under Ryou's body and carefully extracting him from the bed to whisk him away to their bedroom, where Duke was waiting for them. Once they were in the hallway and Seto'd bumped the door closed with his hip, he hoisted Ryou over his shoulder and began to stride towards his bedroom with confidence.

"Why do you two always do this to me?!" Ryou exclaimed, crossing his arms in indignation. "Just because I'm shorter than both of you doesn't mean that I like being carried around like a ragdoll."

"Are you saying that you _don't_ like it when we carry you?" Seto asked in mock shock.

A long pause, then Ryou grudgingly grumbled, "No. But you might want to ask first before throwing me over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes."

Seto came to a stop and gently lowered Ryou back to his own feet so that he was standing in front of him, then kissed him good and hard, allowing Ryou to lean in against his chest for support. When Seto pulled away, his eyes were starry and Ryou was flushed.

"Apology accepted," Ryou murmured with a smile, only to let out a surprised squeal as Seto scooped him up into his arms and carried him, bridal style, all the way to their bed, plopping him unceremoniously on the sheets, making him squeal again. Duke was there immediately, his glorious, naked form wrapping all of its limbs around him.

"Good morning, creampuff."

* * *

 **SEPTEMBER:**

Ryou was struggling to fight tears as he sat in the garden behind the Kaiba mansion. It was his birthday, it was silly to cry. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand as he pulled his knees up to his chest, opening the silver locket for the sixth time in the past twenty minutes. It held the only pictures he had of his mother and sister. He still remembered how his grief-stricken father had burned all of the others within a month of their deaths. They were all he had left of them, except for his mother's rosary beads, which he wore under his shirt now.

"Hey man, are you alright?" Duke's quiet voice startled Ryou, making him bang his head against the tree he had against his back. "Oh, ouch," he winced sympathetically and sat down beside Ryou. "Seto and I were worried when we couldn't find you when we woke up. Roland said that you didn't go on your normal morning run, and Mokuba was looking forward to surprising you." He looked closely at Ryou's face, then murmured, "What's wrong?"

Ryou sniffled a little, trying to suppress his tears. He offered his lover a weak smile as he hid the locket in his hand. "I'm alright, It's like this every year for me." He rested his head on Duke's shoulder, closing his eyes as he tried not to think about the loss he'd suffered so long ago. Most of the time, he thought he was passed it, but then it would hit him again, like it did today.

The therapy he'd been undergoing for months now had helped him a lot. Nothing could remove the physical scars left behind by the Spirit of the Millennium Ring, but the emotional and psychological ones were healing. Strangely enough, Ryou'd been slower to bring up the more natural trauma he'd suffered: losing his mother and sister at an early age, subsequently abandoned by his father, bullied at every school he'd attended, chronic isolation. He was still resisting speaking with his therapist about that loss.

Duke's arm came to rest across Ryou's shoulders. He looked down at him and noticed something laying across the back of his neck that he'd never seen before. He slid a finger underneath the chain and pulled the necklace up a bit, noticing that there were beads evenly spaced along it. Ryou stirred as he felt the chain moving across his skin.

"I've never seen you wear this before," he commented it, letting it drop again.

"It's… my mother's rosary," Ryou said quietly as he sat up and pulled it out from under his t-shirt. "She died before I really got to understand what all of it means, but it's all I have left of her." He fiddled with the beads and the crucifix out of nervous habit. "Them, and this," he added as he pulled out the locket he'd hidden moments ago.

Duke watched as he opened it and showed him the pictures as his baby sister and his mother. "They're both beautiful," Duke murmured warmly, pressing a kiss to Ryou's forehead. His partner chuckled.

"I like to think so." Ryou let out a sigh, leaning back against his Duke as he turned the rosary beads in his fingers. He suspected that it might be a bad habit, but it tended to soothe him when he was stressed. "I still remember when my father sent me the Millennium Ring. Up until then, I always wore these. I think it bothered him, though. I reminded him too much of Mom, and he didn't like thinking about her after the accident." Ryou paused for a moment, then said slowly, "When he gave it to me, I couldn't say no to him. I traded out the rosary for the Ring. I wish I never had. At the time, though, I think I mostly did it for him. I didn't want to lose him too. I wanted him to know that I loved him too, not just Mom and Amane." He looked down at his hands as he closed the locket, holding it tightly in his hands so that even the chain was out of sight. "It… didn't really work, though. Obviously."

Duke kissed the top of Ryou's head, then brushed the loose bangs away from his forehead as he tilted his head to meet his eyes. "None of that was your fault," he said firmly. "You do know that, right?" Ryou nodded slightly. "Ryou, I need you to repeat it back to me."

"It's not my fault," Ryou repeated, his voice shaky, almost uncertain, as Duke tucked a stray lock of white hair behind Ryou's ear.

"Not good enough, Ryou," he said with an encouraging smile. "You have to believe it. Try again."

"It's not my fault," Ryou repeated, his chocolate eyes gleaming in the early morning light.

" _Much_ better," Duke approved warmly as his fingers laced into Ryou's hair. He kissed him tenderly, handling his body as he handled his soul: with gentle care and love. "Come on, it's time to get you back inside, before Seto and Mokuba start to get worried about you."


	12. Winter

**Author Notes:** The second and final "verbal montage" before the plot strikes back with a vengeance. Enjoy, laugh, cry, review, and follow!

* * *

 **OCTOBER:**

"You said you wanted to talk about something, Mokuba?" Seto said as he sat down on the edge of his brother's bed and loosened his tie. Mokuba'd called Seto's office earlier that day, saying that he had a serious question to ask his older brother. Seto had made the executive decision that serious conversation were best had face to face, so he'd told Mokuba that they'd talk later that evening. Seto had only just gotten home from work, since he'd needed to stay late for a conference call with some international business partners. Mokuba had been about to go to sleep, since he'd chosen to wait up for his brother.

"I like girls." Mokuba's expression was serious, even troubled, as he made his declaration. "Is there something wrong with that?"

Seto couldn't help laughing out loud at his brother's apparent concern. He laughed so hard that Mokuba began to feel embarrassed. "I'm serious!" he exclaimed, some small part of him afraid that his brother was making fun of him.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed," Seto apologized, still repressing a chuckle. "I know you're being serious, Mokuba." He took a deep breath and let it out, his expression now as serious as Mokuba's. "To answer your question, no, there's nothing wrong with that. You have nothing to worry about." He rumpled Mokuba's hair with one hand and stood up, but his brother spoke up again.

"But, you and Ryou and—"

"The heart wants what it wants, Mokuba," Seto said with a smile. "None of us will judge you because of who you love." He bent down and kissed Mokuba's forehead. "Sleep well."

* * *

 **NOVEMBER:**

"Alright, alright, I surrender," Duke panted out, causing Seto to let go of his arm and push himself up off of the other's body. Seto was panting too and both of them were covered in sweat, but they were both rather satisfied with how things had gone. This bout of sparring had been successful in terms of its purpose, which was to help them both destress and keep their fighting skills sharp.

Duke rolled onto his back as he fought to catch his breath and Seto lowered himself onto the floor beside him, doing the same. "Good job," Seto said in praise, with a slight smirk. "You're _almost_ as good as me, now."

"Oh, how very _gracious_ of you to acknowledge," Duke teased. "And I'm sure that when my skills surpass your own, you'll be just as gracious about handing over the title." Seto rolled onto his side and propped himself up on one elbow as he grinned down at the bold, beautiful entrepreneur.

"What makes you so sure that you _will_ surpass me, hm?" Seto lazily traced the outline of Duke's bright red lips with one finger only to have his fingertip sucked into his mouth. His green eyes glowed in a feral, feline manner as he nibbled and sucked on Seto's fingertip, Seto letting him do so for several long moments. He gently pulled his finger away as he stood up and walked over to the edge of the mat. Now Duke was the one smirking.

"Are you sure that you don't have any fetishes, Seto?" Duke asked languidly, watching the way Seto's muscles moved underneath his skin. They had both taken their shirts off for the fight. It was always more exciting that way.

"Yes, I'm quite sure," Seto said with a little too much confidence. "I don't know why you persist in your belief that I'm still some kind of sexually-repressed teenager."

"Because you've been an adult since you were fourteen, which means that all those subconscious teenage fantasies are still bottled up in there somewhere." Duke grinned mischievously. "I'll discover your fetishes yet, Seto Kaiba. Just you wait."

"Can we please change the subject?" Seto asked, looking vaguely uncomfortable. For Seto, fetishes reminded him of bondage which reminded him of his childhood abuse. Duke seemed to understand this.

"Do you know what Ryou's doing?" Duke asked obligingly, interlocking his fingers and resting his hands behind his head as he continued. "I haven't seen him around all morning."

"I think he said he had a migraine," Seto answered as he wrapped fresh sports tape around his knuckles, where the skin was cracked and slightly bruised from the time he'd spent with the punching bag the previous day. He pushed himself hard when he worked out, but the results were satisfying. "He went to lie down somewhere dark, and when it passed he was going to finish his paper."

Duke thought that over for a moment. "I don't remember him ever getting a migraine before," he observed thoughtfully.

"I think it's just stress," Seto said. "But he did that to himself when he decided to double-major." Ryou was in his third year of college, having finally quit his crappy job when he'd moved in with Seto so that he could focus on his classes. "I'm not sure I'll ever really understand the way his mind works. I don't know how a degree in Psychology is supposed to work with a degree in Archeology, but apparently he sees how they work together."

"Is it whipped cream?" Duke asked, his eyebrow raised as he watched Seto's face for a reaction.

"What? No, why would you—no!" Seto pulled on his shirt, and Duke felt very smug. Seto hadn't blushed, no, but he'd been flustered, and Duke always enjoyed seeing the powerful CEO off-balance.

"I _will_ discover your fetish. It's just a matter of time."

* * *

 **DECEMBER:**

"I _promise_ I don't cry on every major holiday," Ryou protested as Mokuba offered him a tissue, which he accepted and used to dab at his eyes. Ryou had just opened his present from the young teen: nice silk handkerchiefs edged in silver, blue, and black threading. Mokuba had, in fact, chosen them as a gift because he knew that Ryou was a more emotional person, far more emotional than Seto himself was, even now. He then surprised Ryou with an intimate gesture of affection by kissing his cheek.

"It's okay to cry around us, Ryou," he said sweetly, making Ryou pull Mokuba into his lap and hold him as if he were a teddy bear, hugging him around the waist. Seto watched the two of them with a smile before sipping his hot chocolate. This was by far the happiest Christmas the Kaiba mansion had ever seen, and Seto was feeling like a proud patriarch as he watched over his small, happy family. Oddly enough, gifts were far from the highlight of this holiday. None of them had experienced the Christmas season in a joyful manner in a very long time, if ever, and they were all content to revel in the festive spirit and activities of the season.

Since his father's estrangement, Ryou had spent every Christmas alone in his empty apartment in whatever town he happened to be in at the time. He'd spent a couple years moving about between the day he received the Millennium Ring from his father and the day he came to Domino City. Even after making lasting friends who weren't afraid of him and being invited over to share Christmas with Yugi, he'd always stayed home alone, hating the idea of intruding into another family's home and traditions. Besides, he'd had his own traditions to keep: attending Christmas mass at the nearest chapel (in honor of his mother), lighting candles in honor of the three family members he'd lost, and watching "It's A Wonderful Life." That movie had always been Ryou's reason to keep going and not give up, even when the Evil Spirit was wreaking havoc in his life.

Seto's memories of Christmas with his real parents were hazy at best, fictional at worst. They'd spent two Christmases with their aunt and uncle after that before going to the orphanage, but those memories were less pleasant and less memorable. Christmas in Gozaburo's household had been just like any other day. Mokuba had once wondered if it was because he'd had pleasant Christmases with his wife and son before they died, and he didn't like to remember his grief, so he just walled it away with any reminders of them, like Christmas. The only Christmases Mokuba could remember were the ones spent with Gozaburo, so he'd never known a pleasant one.

Duke, unlike the others, had grown up with both of his real parents for the majority of his adolescence. His parents, though, had never been particularly attached to Duke or even to each other, so Christmas had always been a half-hearted, if pleasant, event. Being an only child had been a little lonely, though, and it had felt somewhat accentuated on Christmas. At least every other day of the year, he could be with friends so that he never felt lonely. It was only when he was forced to be around his family for a full day that he ever felt alone and unhappy.

This season, though, was different. Now that they were living together, they could go all out and make it an experience, which probably benefited Mokuba more than anyone else. The whole month of December had been fun for them, beginning with December first, when Duke had snuck around the house and hung up a few posies of mistletoe. At least, they'd only found a few so far. For all they knew, he could have hung up a few dozen of them. He was the kind of person who would do that sort of thing. They'd made gingerbread men from scratch, attempted at making a gingerbread house—Seto had found it quite vexing with its nonsensical design and construction procedures—which had been fun if not productive, and they'd even gotten a Christmas tree and decorated it.

No, their Christmas dinner wouldn't be quite traditional. Their family wasn't a traditional one either, but it worked for them. It worked well, and they were all better off for having entered each other's lives in such intimate emotional proximity.

As Seto pondered the ways in which all their lives had changed in the past year and Ryou held his human teddy bear appreciatively, Duke leaned over the back of Seto's chair, sucking on a candy cane. He took it out of his mouth and looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I wonder, is it possible for a person to have a Christmas fet—" Seto audibly and violently smacked his hand over Duke's mouth.

"Not in front of Mokuba," he hissed in Duke's ear.

"Why isn't Duke allowed to talk?" Mokuba asked, he and Ryou having noticed the altercation.

"Because Duke needs to learn not to say bad words in front of kids," Seto said sternly, withdrawing his hand from Duke's mouth to cross his arms.

Duke smirked. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was so bad to say the word f—" Seto slapped his hand over Duke's mouth again, this time reaching around his head to do so and pulling him into a headlock. Duke retaliated by plunging his wet, sticky candy cane into Seto's brown locks in such a way that it was bound to be hard to extract. Seto let go of Duke and stood with a shout of indignation, reaching up to try and pry it out of his hair, but failing. He glared at Duke, who was laughing quite hard at the moment. Seto lunged for him, catching him by surprise and knocking him to the ground. Their wrestling was competitive, but it wasn't malicious.

"Hey, careful you two!" Ryou cried as they tousled together on the floor. "Watch your heads!" He and Mokuba stood on their knees on the couch as the two grappling hot-heads rolled behind the couch they sat on. Seto managed to pin Duke to the floor, but Duke was laughing uncontrollably.

"Nobody puts a candy-cane in my hair and gets away with it!"

"Maybe…" Duke said, still laughing hard. "Maybe you have a candy cane fe—" Seto shut him up with a kiss this time. Mokuba had never actually seen his brother kiss anyone before, and his eyes grew round as he watched the event unfold before him. Ryou quickly clamped a hand over Mokuba's eyes while he snapped a picture of the two on his phone, grinning as he did so. No way they would forget this Christmas.

"Now, I'm going to go wash this candy cane out of my hair," was all Seto said as he stood and left to go do just that, walking out with as much dignity as he could muster. Duke was still laughing hysterically on the floor, unable to stop. Mokuba had thrown off Ryou's hand and was watching Duke laugh with as much bemusement as Ryou but with more confusion.

"Duke, I'm never trusting you with a candy cane ever again."

* * *

 **JANUARY:**

Seto licked the curve of Ryou's ear, making his partner shiver in anticipation. The other man slid pale arms around Seto's neck, leaning into him as Seto's lips kissed his neck greedily. His hands held Ryou's hips firmly against his own, his thumbs nudging under the hem of Ryou's shirt and rubbing circles over his skin.

Ryou's recurring migraines had kept him out of Seto's arms—and bed—more frequently than the executive liked. Now that he was headache free for three consecutive days, he'd realized how much he'd missed it.

"Are you happy, Ryou?" Seto whispered, his words followed by a tender nip to his lover's neck, making Ryou gasp. Seto smiled against his skin; Ryou was highly sensitive in every way, a fact that Seto appreciated and exploited every chance he got.

"Yes, Seto. I am _very_ happy," he murmured languidly, stroking Seto's hair as he wondered how he'd gotten so lucky as to be loved by a pair of gods. He gasped again as Seto's hands seized his ass and lifted him up a few inches. Ryou wrapped his arms around Seto's neck for stability, and Seto pressed Ryou's back against the wall, grinding against him quite effectively. Ryou groaned and bit at Seto's corded neck, teeth digging in without drawing blood and making the brunette hiss with delight.

"I've missed you, Seto," Ryou gasped out. Seto supported Ryou against the wall with his hips as he pried Ryou's shirt off over his head and threw it on the floor, claiming Ryou's mouth possessively in a rough kiss that made Ryou squirm between his body and the wall.

"You don't have to miss me, Angel," he whispered against Ryou's lips, kissing him again before he added to his statement. "I'm always right here for you."


	13. BOOM

**FEBRUARY:**

Seto was watching the news in his home office one Saturday morning while he was proofing some computer codes when it happened: the blow to the head, the bite in the ass, the kick in the teeth that he'd been awaiting for so many months. A breaking news story came on from the Middle East, where unidentified terrorists had annihilated an entire small village with a highly-destructive bomb, a new kind of bomb they'd never seen before. The small village had contained an orphanage where U.S. troops were building a new school. Over two thousand civilians were estimated to have been killed in the single blast, making it one of the most devastating terrorist attacks in Afghanistan to date.

"Those bastards." Seto couldn't prevent his own outburst as he stared wide-eyed at the television screen. Seto immediately opened an internet browser and started looking for articles on the bombing, hoping to find more information. Roland started in surprise at the words, then looked at the TV, immediately understanding Master Kaiba's reaction.

He didn't, though, not really. Seto was so distressed because he recognized distinctive aspects of the bomb—from what information he could find in the news articles—that were unique to the bomb plans he'd sent to the kidnappers. He sat back in his chair, the full weight of what had happened settling upon his shoulders.

This was all his fault. By complying with their demands, he'd enabled them to create weapons of incredible destructive power that they'd then used to kill thousands of innocents. Orphans. Hundreds of orphans.

He told Roland that he'd be back in half an hour, then went to his private bathroom, not wanting to be found, and wretched into the toilet. He couldn't even bear to look in the mirror at the moment, he was too disgusted with himself. How had this happened? How could this have happened? He really _was_ just like his step-father.

"I guess you won in the end, Gozaburo."

* * *

Over the next couple months, similar incidents involving bombs, mines, and tanks appeared in both minor and major news publications, and Seto was reading all of the articles out there. There were some war/weapons fanatics online who'd begun to compare these new machines with the products of the old KaibaCorp. A few pothead conspiracy theorists had started some chatter about KaibaCorp producing weapons again, but nobody was taking them seriously. Yet. When people started to believe them, then he would take action.

Each time a new disaster, a new massacre of innocents, involving the machines he'd designed came up in the news, it made him physically ill; each time the news reached him, he would calmly excuse himself from the room to go be sick in the nearest private bathroom on hand. He was becoming preoccupied, the hundreds of lives lost because of him weighing on his soul in every spare moment he had. It did somewhat help for him to organize those thoughts with printouts of the pertinent articles, as well as printouts of the weapons that he could identify as being used in each event. He organized them into a file, which somehow made the information easier for him to handle and process. Even so, it was all he could do to keep from reverting back to his old habits of insomnia and workaholism—or worse—to cope with the situation.

Older habits, broken long ago, beckoned to him for the first time in years, luring him with a siren call that he wouldn't have resisted if it weren't for Ryou and Duke. Not that they knew of the present struggle he faced. He couldn't possibly tell them what was happening, but he _could_ let himself be comforted by them.

* * *

"Are you okay, Seto?" Ryou asked from where he stood in the doorway to Kaiba's home office. Perceptive as he was, Ryou had sensed that something was off about his boyfriend, that he'd been like this for at least the past month or so. He was talking less than usual and seemed more distant. He was spending more time with Mokuba as well, but Ryou didn't take that as a sign of something wrong, merely a sign that he'd gotten his priorities properly adjusted. Still, he was worried that if something was bothering him, he wouldn't tell them unless he asked about it. Seto looked up, smiling to see who it was, and partially closed his laptop as he stood from his chair to approach the younger man.

"I'm alright, just stressed as tax season approaches. I hate dealing with accountants and the IRS." He put his arms around Ryou and gave him a tender kiss before pressing their foreheads together. "How about you? Aren't your migraines getting worse?"

Ryou closed his eyes for a moment as he nuzzled closer to the brunette. "Yeah, they're not any better."

"You should really consult my doctors about them."

"Seto, don't you remember that we're alike in more ways than one? We both hate having to go to doctors for anything."—Not in the least because they both bore scars they hated talking about—"I'll be fine, I'm sure, just as soon as midterms pass."

"If they get even a little bit worse, then you're going to talk to a doctor whether you like it or not." Seto kissed Ryou's forehead and then his cheek, moving slowly as he felt a familiar sadness settle in his heart. His lips brushed over to Ryou's other cheek, savoring each moment.

"Seto, are you sure you're alright?" he murmured, opening his chocolate eyes to gaze up at him with concern. Seto only ever engaged in intimacy so pure as this when he was troubled, like when he was asked about his biological parents, or when Mokuba was sick.

"What, I'm not allowed to be affectionate without something being wrong?" he asked with a teasing smirk, rubbing his nose against Ryou's in a feline manner that normally made the young college student purr with delight. Ryou smiled sadly, cupping Seto's cheek with one hand and closely examining his expression as he tried to find the truth beneath the mask.

"You know that's not what I mean," he murmured, then sighed. "Alright, Seto. Keep your secrets for now, but you'll have to open up sooner or later. Keeping secrets never did you any good." Ryou had that look on his face, an expression of peace and wisdom far beyond his years that always made Seto's soul feel vulnerable, as if Ryou could see it with his own eyes and Seto was powerless to hide anything.

"I'm not keeping secrets," Seto protested, but only half-heartedly. Ryou already knew he was lying. His lover smiled that sad, understanding smile again, leaning in to give Seto a lingering kiss.

"Don't stay up too late, alright?" he said, changing the subject with a wink. "Duke says he has a surprise for us."

Seto rolled his eyes. "I can only imagine what it could be."

It turned out that Duke's surprise was good news: He'd landed a deal with an important chain store in America so that they would now carry Dungeon Dice Monsters merchandise. They were both very happy for him, Seto feeling especially proud, since he'd managed to coach Duke in the ways of international business as much as he could without doing anything to subvert Duke's control over his own company. He would be flying out this weekend to meet his associates in New York for the purpose of closing the deal. Seto offered him the use of his private jet, but Duke insisted on a commercial flight. He was the most extroverted of the three by far and he needed to have people around so that he didn't go nuts.

* * *

"He's doing it again," Ryou murmured as he brushed Duke's hair the next morning, Seto having already left for work. "Something's bothering him, and he won't talk about it."

Duke sighed. "Maybe it's nothing. Maybe it's just something work related that he doesn't consider to be worth explaining."

"No… No, it's more than that, I can feel it." Duke knew by now not to question Ryou's intuitions. They'd proved themselves to be right too often for him to reasonably doubt them. "There are moments when he thinks nobody's looking, and his eyes get all sad. It happens when he looks at Mokuba sometimes too. That hasn't happened before, not in a long time anyways." Ryou sighed in disappointment. "I wish he would just talk to us about these things instead of holding them all inside and letting them fester until they're so bad we have to pry the truth from him by force. I know that he's had to be independent and self-sufficient for a lot of his life, but he has us now, and he knows that. He doesn't need to bear his burdens alone."

"You're right: he needs to learn to trust us with everything," Duke confirmed quietly. "He should know by now that there's nothing he could say that would cause us to think any less of him or to love him any less. Do you think we ought to confront him about it?"

Ryou chewed on his bottom lip, a nervous habit he'd picked recently with all the school-induced stress. "Not yet," he decided at last. "I'll give him a little more time to come clean, but if he doesn't speak up soon, then we'll have to have another intervention."

Ryou didn't mention Seto's secrets again, keeping it to himself and waiting for him to be ready to talk. He didn't have much longer to wait.


	14. Relapse

**Late Friday Night:**

Duke was in America, Ryou was at an evening review session for the midterm he had next week, and Mokuba was sleeping over at a friend's house. Seto, with none of his loved ones about, attended to work matters on his computer. There was nothing else for him to do, after all. Ryou was supposed to be home after ten, and it was only a little after nine now. He'd stop soon, he told himself. Honestly, he would. He didn't want to give his mind a moment's rest, lest he continue to contemplate the many innocent lives that had been destroyed because of him.

Suddenly, an IM window opened on his computer. He was being messaged by a screen-name composed of random letters and numbers, which immediately made him suspicious.

 **Remember me, Kaiba?**

 _Who are you?_ He messaged back, on his guard. He half expected that Mokuba had been kidnapped again, and braced himself for the expected blow to his heart.

 **You remember last June, don't you?** The message was, unfortunately, accompanied with a picture of Mokuba blindfolded and kneeling in some shadowy, nondescript location, a dog collar tightened around his neck. Seto could almost feel his face turn green. **Surely you can't forget this?**

 _Go to hell, you son of a bitch._ He had nothing else to say to the monster who'd abused his little brother.

 **We need more from you, Seto Kaiba. We need you to redesign some sniper rifles for us.**

 _Why do you need ME to do this?_ He was vaguely curious about this man's motivations, but he cared far more about bringing him to justice so that Seto's small, beloved family could be safe from his vile machinations.

 **Because you already have all of the data on the old KaibaCorp products, just like me. It's so very convenient to make you do it, since you can do it so quickly and few others can even compare to your genius. I must applaud you on how well you perform under pressure.**

 _What if I don't want to cooperate this time?_ Not that he'd wanted to cooperate last time, but he'd been forced to do so. Now, he needed to be sure that this was a price he was willing to pay.

 **This time, I have something far better to destroy than your younger brother.** This gave Seto pause as his heart clenched in anguish. Did he have Duke and Ryou in his clutches now? **I have information that, if released to the public, would destroy your pride and your good name.**

 _What information?_

 **Didn't you ever wonder how it was that Gozaburo always knew when you fell asleep at your desk doing your lessons?** Now how the bloody hell did he know about THAT? He decided not to answer for a few moments and see if he said anything more. **Come now, you can't possibly have forgotten about your beloved step-father?** The stranger sent an image of Gozaburo, and Seto recognized it as the picture of the late Mr. Kaiba when he'd won the title of national chess champion, right before adopting Seto and Mokuba. It sent chills down Seto's spine.

 _How do you know about that?_ he demanded, wishing he had the ability to yell at the man face to face.

 **I used to work for Gozaburo. I hate him just as much as you, although for entirely different reasons. It was working for him that I stole copies of the tank blueprints and the explosives schematics and everything else. Because I had those, I was able to tell that you hadn't improved ALL of the plans by the first deadline. It was working for him that I was able to steal these as well.** The next three images he sent made Seto feel so queasy that he glanced over at his waste basket, making sure it was close enough should he need it at a moment's notice. The pictures were of him as a child. Him wearing that wretched collar as Gozaburo stood behind him with that wretched riding crop, as he shook him by the throat, as he beat him into submission. **I'm now doing something that I should have done a long time ago.**

 _And what would that be?_

 **I'm destroying Gozaburo's legacy. Pity that you and your brother are a part of it.**

 _Leave Mokuba out of this!_ Seto could feel his anger rising to a dangerous level.

 **I don't even have to target your brother directly, not anymore at least. Whatever I do to you will inevitably affect him. You two are so close, how could it be otherwise?**

 _How did you get those pictures, exactly? You stole them, but where did they come from?_ Seto remembered distinctly that nobody was ever around when Gozaburo was "punishing" his eldest step-son.

 **Weren't you paying attention? Gozaburo had hidden cameras planted all over that room so that he could keep an eye on you. I have hours of footage at my disposal.** Seto's stomach clenched again, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could sustain this conversation before he really did get sick. **Wouldn't you just love it if a video of the first time he beat you went viral? Well, that's what will happen if you don't comply to my demands this time. If you don't agree to help us remodel some guns, then I'll be sending pictures and videos from those hidden cameras to every blog and news publication you can think of, posting them to every website possible. They'll be trending so high they'll be on the news, and the whole world will know. Your past will have finally caught up to you.**

 _How do you benefit from all of this?_ Seto asked, trying to deny his imagination the right to see what it would be like if the man did as he promised.

 **It destroys what's left of Gozaburo's good reputation, for one thing. For another, it puts a stigma over his company. What parent would let their child buy products from a company founded by a child-abuser?** Seto's eyes widened as the consequences played out in his mind. Then he considered the alternative: more weapons, more deaths, more blood on his hands. It didn't take long for him to make up his mind.

 _You might as well send them those pictures now, because I will never make weapons for you again._ Or anyone else, for that matter, he decided. The personal cost was much too great. He soul was already stained with too much innocent blood.

 **Are you sure about that? This is your last chance to save yourself from public humiliation. The whole world will know your secret by the time I'm done.**

 _Yes, I'm sure._ He didn't need to think twice about it. He preferred humiliation to being a killer.

 **As a reward for your cooperation, here's a little memento of your childhood.** The villain on the other end of the chat sent a video before exiting the IM. Seto knew that he shouldn't hit play. He knew that it was probably something that would torture him horribly. Yet, his hand moved the mouse and his finger left-clicked on the play button. He sat back with numb horror as he watched the beating when Gozaburo broke his right wrist as punishment for his insolence, grabbing the child's forearm and slamming it down on the edge of the desk with enough force to make him scream. Gozaburo left him crying on the floor without a trace of remorse or regret. It was more than enough to push Seto past his breaking point. Once the contents of his stomach were emptied into the wastebasket, he closed his laptop lid and shuffled out of his office, down the hallway, towards his own room.

It was too much. Seto had withstood incredible pressures pushing him back to what he had been when he was still an angsty teenager with no healthy outlet. He'd withstood a lot in the past month, but this was too much for him to resist. Maybe he'd simply been worn down and his strength had been spent to the point where there was none left, leaving his mental resources sparse and unable to handle the pressure. He made it to his room, where he shrugged off his suit jacket and yanked off his tie, throwing both to the floor uncharacteristically. His eyes still vacant and unfocused, he unbuttoned his sleeve cuffs and rolled up both sleeves carefully. He made it to the bathroom before he finally collapsed, his legs too shaky and weak to stand any longer. He dug around in a bin in the bottom of the bathroom closet until he found what he was looking for. He shut the closet door then sat with his back against the wall, his breathing shallow as he tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling. He hadn't turned the light on, feeling more comforted by the darkness at the moment. A cold blanket of false calm settled over him as he gripped his old treasure in his hand.

The video had been the last straw for Seto. All of the pressure points that had come up in the past month crowded into his mind, fueling the relapse he was finally suffering. He thought about the terror and torture Mokuba had sustained, Ryou's stay in the hospital when he'd been poisoned, all of the innocents he'd killed indirectly. He slashed his left wrist with the knife, gasping faintly as the pain seeped from him like the scarlet blood in his veins. The cut was shallow, all of them were as he repeated the action. He may be suffering a cutting relapse, but he hadn't suddenly become suicidal, and the last thing he wanted to do was to accidentally bleed out on the bathroom floor. He had a reason to stay alive now. He cut until the itch left him and he reached catharsis, and he was left with nothing but a bloodied, shredded forearm and an intense, growing sense of self-hatred.

He'd promised Duke that it would never happen again, that it was only a part of his past, that there was no chance of the behavior ever recurring. He'd not only broken a promise to a man he loved, he'd also managed to undo years of careful recovery. He began to cry, sobbing like never before as shame, defeat, and guilt racked his soul mercilessly. Tears streamed down his cheeks, falling to mingle with his blood as he hid his face in his hands. He was a monster, just like Gozaburo. He'd caused so much suffering, so much death. He deserved whatever humiliation that came as a result of his past being made public, and worse. He deserved so much worse than anything he could could ever do to himself. He sat in self-pity and oblivion, unaware when his blood stained his clothes, unaware when the bathroom door opened slowly and someone entered. He only lifted his head when he heard a faint gasp, and he felt a fresh wave of hopelessness and shame.

"Seto?" It was all Ryou could say, he was too much in shock at what he'd found. His conscience screamed at him that something must be horribly wrong for Seto to do something like this. Something must have happened, something must have triggered this. It wasn't Seto's fault for relapsing, and he needed to find out what or who had caused his beloved so much pain as to punish himself. Meanwhile, his heart told him to fall to the floor and weep with him until they'd both wept their fill. His mind told him to get Seto cleaned up and calmed down before doing anything else. Too many competing impulses converged, and Ryou simply stood still as he processed what he saw.

One look at Ryou's broken-hearted expression, and Seto's face sank into his hands once more, weeping with grief for the pain he was even now causing Ryou with his actions. It was just another addition to the tally of Seto's sins.


	15. Rise & Shine

**Author Notes:** This chapter contains a lot of lemon in the second half. You have been warned!

* * *

"Duke, you need to get home right away, as soon as your meeting is over, okay?" Ryou said, launching straight into the heart of the matter as soon as Duke answered his phone.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down, love. What's wrong? Did something happen?" Sensing Ryou's panic, Duke kept his tone calm.

"I don't know what happened, but _something_ must have happened to get him this upset." Ryou himself was rather upset, his panicky distress apparent to Duke through his tone and voice. "When I got home a little while ago, he was… H-he'd been cutting. He hated that he was doing it, and he was so upset that he was. I've never seen him cry so much before. I don't know what to do."

"Take a deep breath, Ryou. You need to stay calm for his sake. Where is he now?"

"He's asleep," Ryou answered softly, peaking out at Seto from his closet for a moment before closing the door again. He'd gone into the closet so that he could call Duke without waking the brunette and without leaving him either.

"Listen to me carefully. Tomorrow, you need to keep him calm, and don't let him get exposed to anything that could potentially upset him. Make sure he eats something at every meal, that he gets some fresh air, and no matter what, _don't leave him alone_. Don't try to talk to him about it; wait until I get home. Text me if he says anything about what happened, but if he tries to cut again, _call me_. I'll cancel my meeting and get myself on the next flight home. I'll let you know when I should be back at the mansion, and don't let Mokuba know what happened. We'll only let him know, if at all, once we have everything sorted out." Duke sighed as a headache began to pulse behind his eyes. Had he forgotten to mention anything? He didn't think so. Those were all the important things that needed to be done while Duke was still away. "I have to go now. I love you, angel. Give Seto my love as well."

"I will," Ryou promised. "I love you too, Duke. Travel safely." They both hung up, Ryou feeling much better about the situation after their conversation, like he actually knew how to handle things until Duke was home to help him. He slipped back into their bedroom, relieved to see that Seto was still sleeping peacefully. He had a few ideas for how to keep Seto from sinking back into despair until Duke was here to help him.

* * *

Seto slept better than Ryou did that night. Seto had night terrors twice in the course of the night, waking Ryou both times. Even so, Ryou still forced himself awake before Seto the next morning. He didn't want Seto to have a chance to think about whatever had upset him. He wanted Seto to wake up to the feeling of pleasure. Ryou crawled deep under the covers and pulled down his partner's boxers, resting his hands on Seto's hips and massaging him with his thumbs. He pressed a tender kiss to the tip of his member, and he heard a faint groan from above him. He smiled as he repeated the action, then dragged his lips along the length, flicking out his tongue now and then as he felt the body beneath him gradually come to wakefulness. Ryou wrapped his mouth around his tip and sucked, a hand coming to tangle into his white locks as another groan filled the air above him and made Ryou grow more excited himself. He drew from all of his skills and experience as he sucked off his beloved, both of Seto's hands on the back of Ryou's head as he cried out with pleasure. It was his goal to give Seto some of the best he'd ever had, hoping it would be enough to elevate his mood for the rest of the day, to make him forget his sorrow and pain. Seto's hips gave one last jerk as he came, panting hard when he relaxed back into the sheets. After several moments of rest, he moved his hands and pushed back the covers to look down at Ryou's sweet smile.

"Good morning, my sexy dragon lord," Ryou purred, his half-lidded eyes and rumpled hair making him look incredibly erotic at the moment, even more so than Seto would have thought possible. The smile Ryou received in response was gratifying. He pressed his lips low on Seto's abdomen, slowly working his way up Seto's body with a trail of kisses that made Seto begin whine faintly. Ryou crawled all the way up to the brunette's pink lips, which he seized in a firm, confident kiss that Seto was more than willing to yield to. It ended far too soon for the elder of the two, who whimpered faintly as Ryou withdrew from the kiss and his body for a few moments.

"Relax, my love," Ryou cooed soothingly as he fetched the lube from the nightstand's bottom drawer. "I'm here for you, babe. I'm not going to leave you… unsatisfied." His own arousal was becoming hard to ignore. He shifted, Seto gazing lustfully at the long, slender, pale limbs as they moved over him. The broad-shouldered executive let out a surprised grunt as one lubed finger slipped inside him, his cheeks turning pink as he watched Ryou's face. A second finger was soon added, and Seto groaned wantonly. Ryou bit his lip to maintain focus as he prepared his lover to a satisfactory point. Finally, he paused and applied more lube to the both of them. Seto was panting, his own arousal quite apparent by this point, having recovered his erection. Ryou held Seto's hips as he positioned himself, then entered in a smooth, single thrust.

"Yowza!" Ryou cried, eyes wide, his voice half breath as he held himself inside, adjusting to his partner's tightness. "It's been too long…" It had easily been months since he last penetrated Seto, and he only entered Duke occasionally, maybe once a month. The sounds Seto was making pushed Ryou to continue, trying to go slowly, carefully, knowing that Seto himself wasn't nearly as accustomed to his present role as Ryou.

"Fuck!" Seto cried when he at last came a second time, causing Ryou to slam into him harder than ever. He quickly came, his back arched, his head thrown back, his hair swaying along his back, his eyes closed, his lips parted with a wordless cry of his own. Seto didn't think he'd ever seen Ryou look more gorgeous than at that moment. As they cuddled in the afterglow, Seto buried his face in Ryou's white hair and closed his eyes, his mind absorbed in the beauty and pleasure of the moment.

"I love you." Ryou's spine tingled at the sound of Seto's raspy, sultry voice. It was one of his favorite sounds, right next to Duke's deep, hoarse equivalent. "My kitten."

"I love you too, babe," he answered, Seto's lips pressing to his cheek in a lazy kiss. "Duke sends his love too."

Duke. Seto's brain had been operating on sexual autopilot until now, which was to say, he hadn't thought past the here and now for a single moment all morning. Now everything came crashing back to him with devastating effect. He looked down at his bandaged arm, all of the happiness having fled his face. Ryou kissed him then, firmly, forcefully, shifting to bring his body to hover over Seto's.

"You're not going to be sad today," he stated, pulling back to look down at Seto with shining chocolate eyes. "You're not going to think about any of those things that upset you. Every time you get sad, I'm going to kiss you to make it stop, and I'm not afraid to go farther if necessary, no matter where we are. I'll fuck you in the garden if that's what it takes. Got it?" Seto nodded, looking stunned, though not displeased. "Good boy," Ryou crooned approvingly, kissing Seto's forehead before climbing off of him. "Now, how about a shower?"

* * *

 **P.S.** Ryou kind of decided to take over writing this chapter, so I feel like I can't be held responsible for any of it. He has a mind of his own, that one. He's secretly very mischievous. ;)


	16. Unburied

Ryou managed to keep Seto distracted and pleasant for the rest of the morning, and into the afternoon. They did indeed copulate a few more times that day, taking more than one nap as a result. Ryou was content to take control of the situation, and he actually felt comfortable doing so. Maybe it was because he himself had once spent a full week drowning in darkness, misery, and guilt, refusing to leave his apartment until Duke—at that time, merely a friend to him—had finally shown up and dragged him out of his stupor. Duke had shown him the right balance of sympathy and tough love to bring Ryou back to his senses and back to real life.

He still remembered how awful he'd felt, how the cycle of depression, anger, anxiety, and guilt had been inescapably self-perpetuating. He hated that period of his life, but he didn't try to deny it. He had dealt with it and moved past it. Because he had done so, he was now able to prevent Seto from entering that cycle in the first place. The least he could do was postpone it, give Seto something to hold onto so that he didn't lose himself to the darkness. They got a call from Mokuba that morning, who'd asked if he could stay at his friend's house until mid-afternoon. Ryou, the one to answer the call, had granted permission, telling Mokuba that he'd send Roland with the limo to pick him up at three o'clock. A little before noon, Duke called to say that he should be home, if he estimated correctly, around two. But there was an accident on the beltway, which impeded his arrival home by nearly a half hour, and at two, he called to tell them as much.

"Next time, I insist he use our resources for traveling," Seto murmured, suppressing a yawn. "He would've been here by now if he had just accepted my offer in the first place." Ryou smiled and tucked the soft fleece blanket around Seto's bare shoulders, leaning in to kiss him gently as his brow furrowed with worry.

"Go to sleep, Seto. You have time to rest before Duke comes home, and neither of us slept too well last night."

"But you still got less sleep than me," Seto protested weakly, his eyes soft.

"I'll be joining you in a few minutes, silly. I just need to tell Roland when to pick up Mokuba before I forget." Ryou sat on the edge of the couch and stroked Seto's hair until his eyes finally closed and he was settled in sleep. Ryou was following Duke's instructions as best he could, which included never leaving Seto alone—at least, not while he was awake. Ryou rose carefully and pulled his shirt back on, gathering up Seto's discarded shirt as well and folding it neatly before leaving it on the table for him. He left to find Roland and do exactly as he'd said he would do, then took a detour to the kitchen to make himself a mug of peach tea before going back to Seto. He ended up dozing off at the counter, though, his head coming to rest beside his mug of tea.

The next thing Ryou knew, he was being wrapped up in Duke's arms, embraced tightly as the entrepreneur supported his weight and kissed his cheek.

"Duke!" Ryou cried with joy as realization kicked in and he snapped to full wakefulness. He threw his arms around Duke's neck, the other laughing aloud in amusement.

"Hello, Kitten. I missed you too," he crooned, stroking Ryou's white hair gently. "I take it you didn't mean to fall asleep at the counter?"

"No, not at all," Ryou answered with a blush. He released Duke and looked up at him with an expression of uncertainty. "I left Seto asleep in the parlor, but I meant to come back. He should still be there." He picked up his mug of tea as Duke nodded, his own expression turning grim.

"I'm afraid that things might be worse than you think," he said quietly, adjusting the way his backpack strap rested on his shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Ryou's eyes widened with concern.

"You'll see soon enough," Duke said, taking Ryou's hand in his own as he led them towards the parlor. "So, what have you two been doing all morning?" he asked, trying to get caught up with the details of what had occurred while he was gone.

"We've had sex, like, five times this morning," Ryou answered nonchalantly. Duke froze in his tracks, and after a split second, burst out into a loud fit of laughter. Ryou blushed, feeling embarrassed, like he needed to defend himself. "I told him that every time he looked sad, I was going to kiss him, and do more if I needed to. It stands to reason that the rush of neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and dopamine would—"

"I'm not laughing _at_ you, silly," Duke said reassuringly, still chuckling as he put an arm around Ryou's shoulders and brought him close against his chest. Duke kissed Ryou's red cheeks, and added, "I love the way your mind works." He slipped his arm to Ryou's waist so that they could keep walking down the hall, Ryou still feeling embarrassed, his face still scarlet. He sipped his cooled tea in an attempt to calm himself.

When they entered the parlor, Seto was sitting up on the couch, buttoning up his shirt. Duke saw the bandages that encircled his left forearm, and all the anger he'd been keeping in burst free. He let go of Ryou and strode forward, dropping his backpack on the coffee-table and seizing Seto's left arm. He held it up as he pushed the sleeve down, glaring down at Seto as his eyes started to tear up and he got a full view of how far the bandages extended up his arm.

"You promised, Seto. You promised this would never happen again," he yelled bitterly, making Ryou flinch as he stood by the closed door. "It was a part of your past, you said. You wouldn't do this again, you said. You promised me, Seto Kaiba. You promised." A few tears escaped his eyes and slid down Duke's cheeks, and Seto stared up at him with his rare, sad puppy eyes that Ryou could never resist. His blue eyes weren't just sad, though; for a few moments, they looked utterly vacant, as if he weren't even looking at them, but he was somewhere else entirely.

~(*)~

 _"You're rotten to the core, Kaiba, just like that dragon. It's all your fault. Why, Seto? Why didn't you help him?! You promised you'd always be there for him. You promised him, Seto Kaiba! You promised!"(1)_

Kaiba was reliving the vision he'd had when he'd almost lost to Yugi in Duelist Kingdom, when he'd thought that he was going to lose his little brother forever. In all honesty, if Yugi had attacked him with the Celtic Guardian at that point, he wouldn't have attempted to save himself. If he failed and lost Mokuba's soul, he would rather have died than live with the guilt.

~(*)~

Seto blinked a few times, and Ryou noticed the vacancy leave his eyes. The brunette hung his head in shame, and Duke dropped Seto's arm in disgust. Seto buried his face in his hands as he began to cry quiet, endless tears, and Ryou stepped forward, wishing to comfort him. Duke held out his arm across Ryou's chest, keeping him from joining Seto on the couch. Ryou looked at Duke askance.

"Besides that, Seto, you have something else to answer for," Duke said darkly, forcing his tears to cease. He opened up his backpack and began pulling out a serious of tabloid magazines in a number of different languages, each one featuring a picture of the young Seto with his stepfather on the cover, some as the cover story, some as a special feature. "These were all over the airport. Where the hell did they get these pictures? What is going on, Seto?!"

Seto stared numbly at the tabloids, eyes still brimming with tears. Ryou picked one up to get a closer look, opening the silly thing to the page with the story, but moments later threw it down again, feeling nauseous.

"Answer me: how did they get their hands on these pictures and why are they popping up all over the place?" Ryou tried to step forward to comfort Seto, but Duke restrained him once more. Ryou whimpered faintly, considering defying Duke's will in order to support their distressed lover. Duke felt a twinge of guilt for isolating Seto like this, even temporarily, but he needed to do so to force Seto to speak to them.

"They got them from whoever kidnapped Mokuba," he answered, voice faint. "He contacted me again last night… he wanted me to make him more weapons, but I refused… so this is what I get for not cooperating."

"Weapons?" Ryou repeated, looking shocked and confused. Duke finally lowered his arm and Ryou rushed forward to cuddle up to Seto's side, reaching for the tissue box and pulling a few Kleenex out to dab at Seto's wet cheeks. Duke slowly walked forward and sat on Seto's other side, tucking one long leg underneath him as he did so. He gently turned Seto's face so that their eyes met, another tear falling down his cheek.

"I'm only mad because I hate seeing you hurt," he whispered, indirectly apologizing for his initial fury. "And I can't understand why you would hurt yourself when it hurts us too." He pressed a shallow, tearful kiss to Seto's lips before pulling back again. "You should have told us when it happened. We could have helped you face this together."

"You were all gone," Seto whispered. "And it's not… it's not just that."

"What else is there, Seto? What's going on? What did the kidnapper want with weapons?" Duke asked earnestly. Seto closed his eyes and shook his head faintly, but Duke pulled Seto's face close to his own once more. "Seto, talk to us. Let us help you," he insisted, his voice stern, but his eyes filled with concern. "Shutting us out hurts us more than anything you could possibly tell us." He knew that the last thing Seto wanted to do was to hurt them, and Duke was trying to show him how this behavior didn't actually prevent that.

"I need to show you," Seto said at last. "In my office." Duke and Ryou glanced at each other, and Duke nodded slightly. They stood and helped Seto to his feet, each holding his hand as the three of them departed down the hall for his office.

As they walked he began to explain how the kidnappers hadn't asked for money the first time around, as he'd let them believe. They'd asked for weapons. Seto explained the work he'd had to do in order to meet their demands, how his first failure had led to Ryou's being poisoned, and how he'd felt too ashamed of handing over the tank blueprints and whatnot to admit to anybody but the police that it was what he'd done.

"But we tried every way possible to get Mokuba back without giving in and we just couldn't make it happen…" Ryou kissed the top of Seto's head to comfort him as Seto logged onto his laptop, then reached down and opened one of his desk drawers, pulling out a manila folder and passing it back to them before returning his hands to the keyboard. "A month ago or so, these news reports started coming in about the war in the Middle East. I recognized a good number of the attacks as using the weapons I'd designed for HIM." Ryou and Duke opened the file, looking at the articles he'd matched up with what he'd given the kidnappers the ability to build. Ryou found it incredibly disheartening, especially when he reached the article about the orphanage that was bombed.

"Oh Seto," he sighed, resting a hand on the brunette's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "This is what's been bothering you lately, isn't it?" Seto just nodded curtly, then opened a window on the PC and stood, motioning for the other two to take his seat as he strode over to look outside the full-length window, a hand raking through his messy hair.

"Read that. It should explain everything else." Duke and Ryou settled themselves closely together in Seto's large desk-chair and started to read through the IM chat. Ryou gasped at the picture of Mokuba, then found himself tearing up at the images of pre-teen Seto being abused. He turned his face in against Duke's shoulder, unable to look anymore.

Duke reached the end as Seto paced nervously by the window. He chose to mute the computer then played the video, placing one hand on Ryou's head to keep it down so that he didn't have to see.

"There's a new message here, Seto," Duke said quietly, glancing up. "It was sent a few hours ago. It says: 'I only thought it fair warning to show you what I'm going to show the rest of the world.' There's… another video."

"What's the date stamp on it?" Seto asked after a moment. Ryou snuck a peak at his traumatized lover, and thought that it looked like he was having a bit of difficulty breathing.

Duke played the video until the date stamp appeared, the computer still muted. "August 27, XXXX."

"That was our first day here," Seto breathed, a strange look entering his expression. "That was when…" suddenly, his eyes grew wide, and he walked over to the desk, intent on the laptop, but Duke held the computer away from him.

"If you're planning on watching this, then I'm going to have to steal this from you, Seto." Duke's emerald eyes glinted with steely resolve. "If watching that first video last night sent you over the edge, then I'm not going to let you risk that happening again." Seto paused, took a deep breath, and nodded, straightening up. "Okay, just skip to the end, then, and—"

"Duke! What are you doing home so early? I thought you were going to America this weekend?" Mokuba's warm, innocent voice pierced the cloud of misery that had settled over the three of them. The young teen ran straight for his brother first, of course, and Seto scooped him up in his arms in that protective manner of his, as if Mokuba were a kitten that he could just carry around everywhere with him.

"How was your sleepover?" Seto asked, hugging Mokuba close as he barely managed to feign cheerfulness.

"It was tons of fun! We stayed up till midnight playing video-games and…" He trailed off, peering at his brother's face. His hands came to rest on Seto's cheeks, his expression shifting from one of confusion to one of realization. "You've been crying." Mokuba then looked stunned and gasped. "You're not dying, are you?"

The question was so far from their current predicament that they were all able to let out at least a weak chuckle at that.

"No, Mokuba, nobody's dying," Seto assured, resting his forehead against his brother's with a sigh. "You and I do need to have a talk, though," he said slowly, and with some difficulty. He glanced over at his lovers, who nodded slightly in encouragement. He inhaled deeply, then carried a worried-looking Mokuba out of the room, presumably to a private place for them to have their discussion. At the doorway, Seto paused, his face filled with pain for a few moments. "Duke, just find out what's at the very end of the video for me." Then the Kaiba brothers disappeared.

Duke tangled his fingers into Ryou's hair and brought his face into Duke's chest as he skipped to the very end of the video, saving Ryou's sensitive heart from even more pain than it had already suffered.

"Good God," he breathed out in shock as he stared at the final frame of the video.

"What is it?" Ryou asked, twisting his head free, but not before Duke closed the IM chatbox entirely.

"You don't need to see that," was Duke's hasty answer.

"I hosted the Spirit of the Millennium Ring for years," Ryou reminded Duke quietly. "Whatever it is, it won't surprise me."

"Even so, _nobody_ needs to see _that_." Duke looked disturbed enough that Ryou took his word for it. Duke closed the laptop, then situated Ryou securely in his arms before standing up, carrying Ryou with him.

"Where are we going?" Ryou asked with a faint blush.

"I've missed you, Kitten," Duke purred, his voice low and dangerous, sending chills down Ryou's spine. "Besides, I thought I would reward your diligent efforts from this morning."

Ryou's face turned crimson as Duke carried him to their shared bedroom.

* * *

(1) Quote from: Yu-Gi-Oh, Season 1, Episode 24 (c) Kazuki Takahashi


	17. Undead

Seto took Mokuba out to the garden and they sat on the wrought-iron bench together, the same place where Mokuba had told Seto what had been done to him while he was kidnapped. They sat side by side as they had then, but this time, Mokuba was the one listening and Seto was the one speaking uncomfortable truths.

His little brother's eyes grew wide as he began to grasp the full picture: not just what had been done to his brother by Gozaburo and the fact that this was now public knowledge, but that he had been abused in the same exact way.

"But… _why_?" he persisted, unable to understand how it had done anybody any good.

"I don't _know_ , Mokuba," Seto answered with a sigh, slumping forward and looking very tired indeed. "Cruel people don't always make sense."

Mokuba leaned against the back of the bench, pulling his knees up to his chest. His eyes watered and he started to cry, making Seto look up and sigh, pulling his little brother onto his lap.

"Please don't cry, Moki," he murmured, hugging his brother and pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head. "First _I_ cried, then _Ryou_ cried, then _Duke_ cried, then _I_ cried again. I don't want you crying too." Mokuba tried very hard to fulfill his brother's wishes, choking back the tears and sniffling a bit.

"What are you going to do now, Seto? About the tabloids, I mean."

"I'm just going to let it blow over, wait until something more scandalous takes the spotlight. Until then, I'm tripling security on the mansion and the property, so don't go outside at night unless I'm with you, got it?" Mokuba nodded. They'd had to increase security like that a couple of times before, so he was used to the drill. "And if anybody at school says anything about what the magazines are saying, don't let them get to you, okay? Just ignore them, because secretly they're all very jealous of you having the best big brother in the whole world." Mokuba had to smile at that.

"Okay, bro."

Seto sent Mokuba off to his room to unpack his overnight bag. He stayed on the bench after Mokuba had left, dropping his head into his hands as he sank into a deep pool of self-pity. He had disappointed Duke by breaking his promise. He'd upset Ryou by being so reckless and impulsive last night. He'd worried Mokuba by crying so much. He'd hurt his loved ones just as much as he'd hurt himself; that was what Duke had said, wasn't it? And at the end of the day, nothing was any better.

He didn't know how long he sat there, but he'd fallen into something of a daze by the time Duke came up and tapped him on the shoulder. He shifted a little, identifying his boyfriend by his shadow and keeping his head down.

"Seto, are you alright?" Duke asked softly. Seto just shrugged. He didn't feel like speaking at the moment, or ever, for that matter. He felt cold and empty inside—kind of like how he'd felt when he first met Yugi, but less angry. That was actually close to the time that Seto had finally given up cutting. Duke sat down beside Seto, not quite touching him. He wasn't sure, for once, what he ought to say. "Seto, please say something." He gently lay a hand on Seto's shoulder, only to have it shrugged off.

"I don't want to talk," he growled, blocking his view of Duke with his hand. "Talking is stupid," he muttered under his breath. Duke sighed and put his arms around Seto in a tight embrace that he wouldn't be able to work his way out of. Seto shuddered in his arms and let out a sob, and Duke pulled his head to rest against his shoulder. Seto made a token effort to resist, but in the end he gave in, letting himself be held.

"I checked the end of the video like you asked me too," Duke whispered, too disheartened to speak a normal volume at the moment. "Your step-father, he… he molested you, didn't he?" Seto then made one of the most broken, angst-ridden sounds he'd ever heard in his life. "It's okay, Seto. Everything is okay." Duke's arms held Seto securely, unsure of what else he could do.

"He didn't do anything more than that, but..." Duke shushed him, the sound of his distressed voice too much for his heart to bear at the moment. Seto breathed deeply, steadying his voice as he continued. "Noah did it to Mokuba in the Virtual World, too. Not quite to the same degree, but Mokuba was really bothered by it."

"That's why you were so touchy when we first started seeing each other," Duke murmured, his eyes widening in understanding. He could remember oh-so-clearly how each unsolicited touch had caused Seto to start, to tense, to shut himself down; he'd needed to be the one to initiate, and Duke had been frustrated to no end by the fact that he felt like he needed to ask permission in order to touch his boyfriend. Ryou had the most patience for him during that time, maybe because Ryou understood better than Duke the kinds of reflexes that a person developed in reaction to different kinds of emotional and psychological trauma. Ryou still understood it better than any of them. He'd been a bit quirky and fidgety at that time as well, still set in the ways of certain habits that had developed from being a virtual orphan hosting an evil spirit and isolating himself from everyone around him throughout his adolescent and teen years. They'd all improved a lot over time simply by interacting so closely with each other. Duke hoped that none of that progress was undone by recent events.

"If he was telling the truth, now the whole world knows…" Seto choked out, his face still buried in his lover's chest. Duke wanted nothing more in that moment than to do whatever it took to make Seto feel better, especially as it sank in that he was partially responsible for this state of despair.

"I'm sorry for being mad at you. I'm sorry for yelling," Duke apologized, realizing now that he'd made a big mistake in letting his temper get the better of him. Seto remained mostly silent, but Duke didn't take that to mean 'I forgive you.' He still had to make true amends.

"I lied when I told you two that mom moved away after she divorced my dad," he said bluntly. "She's in rehab. Again. When my dad started going nuts for revenge, she became alcoholic, did drugs, and went to rehab for the first time. It was after she got clean and came back that she and my dad started fighting, got divorced and she relapsed. I've been paying for her rehab for almost three years now." His face was stoic, having detached himself from the state of affairs with his mother. "For her, it all started with self-destructive habits. I can't stand the thought of something like that happening to you. Please," he pressed a kiss to Seto's forehead. "Forgive me. I never meant to take that fear out on you."

Seto let out a sigh, finally nuzzling against his beloved in response. Duke figured that was the best he could get at the moment, but then Seto went and surprised him all over again. "I love you, Duke."

"I love you too, Seto," he answered with a faint smile. "Now come on, let me get you into the shower. I doubt you've been in there since yesterday morning, with Ryou keeping you so busy."

Seto let out a weak chuckle and complied, letting Duke take him back to their room and shower with him before they collapsed into bed to join Ryou in sleep.

* * *

The next day, Seto decided that he was going to spend the next week working from home, holed up in his office until things blew over and he could feel confident that he wouldn't get assaulted by paparazzi. On Tuesday, around lunchtime, however, he got a call from Mokuba's school. Apparently, his little brother had gotten into a fight over the tabloids, despite Seto telling him not to. The principal wanted Seto to come in to talk to him and Mokuba together, but Seto refused, persuading him to have the discussion over the phone. Seto sighed, protested, and explained the best he could; however, he couldn't keep Mokuba from being suspended for a day. He was getting off with a light punishment because he'd never gotten into a fight before, but if he did it again, he'd be in even bigger trouble. Seto hung up and sent Roland to pick up Mokuba from school and bring him home, then took more Advil for his growing headache. When Mokuba got home, he was brought straight to Seto's office. Seto's eyes widened in surprise when he saw what injuries Mokuba had sustained in the fight.

"Come over here," he said somewhat tiredly as he pushed his chair a little away from the desk. When Mokuba was beside his chair, he reached out and tilted Mokuba's chin to get a better look at his black eye. "Roland, can you please get Mokuba an ice-pack?" Their bodyguard nodded and left the room. Seto frowned sternly at his brother. "What did I tell you about getting into fights?" he asked, his voice adopting that disappointed, paternal tone that always made Mokuba feel ashamed.

"But, you should have heard the things they said about you!" Mokuba burst out, his eyes watering with angry tears. "I would've won if it had been a fair fight!"

"It doesn't matter what they were saying, Mokuba. I told you to walk away. Fighting with them means that you're not any better than them. Don't stoop to their level. You're better than that."

"But… But…" Mokuba's fury at the slander his classmates had uttered against his brother was overwhelming, and Seto put a hand on his small shoulder.

"I know, Mokuba. I know." He understood, he really did. He could also imagine a lot of the things that they'd been saying about him with a fair degree of accuracy. Mokuba sniffled and rubbed his nose on his sleeve.

"I-I saw one of the articles, Seto…" he admitted hesitantly. Seto stiffened.

"I told you to avoid all of those," the elder said sharply.

"I couldn't help it!" the child protested. "They wouldn't let me look away…" Seto clenched his jaw, taking a few moments to breathe deeply before he spoke out of anger and said something he regretted.

"It's things like this that make me want to homeschool you," Seto mumbled, half to himself. "This whole drama with the tabloids and Gozaburo is making me seriously consider that."

"You're going to pull me out of school in the middle of the semester?" Mokuba asked, looking shocked.

"Maybe, I don't know. I need more time to think. We'll talk about it tomorrow, okay?" Mokuba couldn't help but notice the dark circles under his brother's eyes as he spoke, and felt a twinge of pity for his older brother.

"I love you, Seto," he said quietly, sounding apologetic.

"I love you too, Mokuba," Seto sighed, kissing his brother's forehead and sitting up just as Roland reentered. "Alright, go ice your eye before it gets any more swollen than it already is."

"Can I watch TV while I do it?" Mokuba asked hopefully. Seto coudn't restrain a small smile at that.

"Yes, you can watch TV," Seto granted, and watched his brother scamper out of the room, his spirit as unshaken as ever, a fact that never ceased to amaze Seto. He sighed and went back to work.

* * *

The week dragged on slowly, Seto only sleeping maybe every other night, spending endless hours in front of his laptop as he tried to forget everything by immersing himself in work, not that it really worked, but he was trying. He came to the decision that he wanted Mokuba homeschooled for high school, but he'd let him finish eighth-grade at his current school—unless there was another incident. On Wednesday, Ryou had another migraine and had to stay home from classes. Seto sent one of his doctors to him, who wrote him a prescription for a medicine that should help them go away. When the migraine did go away, he got ahead on homework for a little while before, at Seto's request, having a talk with Mokuba about not getting into fights unless physically provoked.

"I think he knows well enough now that he shouldn't get into fights anymore," Ryou informed Seto while sitting on his desk. Seto rubbed his forehead and sighed, looking even more exhausted than he had the day before.

"He got that from me, you know," the brunette explained with an air of guilt. "I wonder what other bad behaviors I've taught him without meaning to."

"Don't talk like that, you've been a wonderful influence on Mokuba," Ryou chided.

"I very nearly screwed him up for life," Seto protested, thinking back to when he was fourteen and the strategy he'd used to take over KaibaCorp—a strategy that he was not proud of.

"But you didn't, Seto, and you've worked hard to teach him how to be a good man. You can't blame yourself for the things he learned from you when you were still a kid, because you didn't have the responsibility of acting as his father at that point. I'm sure that without you to guide him, Mokuba would be a very troubled child indeed."

"You really think so?" Seto asked, severely doubting his own abilities as a father and older brother. All he could see was the many times he'd messed up.

"I really do," Ryou assured. After a long pause, he asked hesitantly, "Seto, you do plan on sleeping tonight, right? You haven't been to bed the past couple nights, and Duke and I are getting worried…"

"Yes, I'll sleep tonight," he answered quietly, glancing at Ryou one last time before going back to work, making his partner sigh a little and leave the room quietly.

Seto didn't see Mokuba again for the rest of the week, not after Wednesday. He was too busy working, and he'd resorted to hiding in random places around the house on occasion when he knew that people would come looking for him. He didn't want to be disturbed, didn't want to talk to people. He was tired of the pitying glances and the strange stares and the way some of his staff seemed to walk on eggshells when they were around him. Roland was the only one who understood, the only who didn't treat him like volatile explosives or broken glass, the only one whose presence he could tolerate for more than a few minutes at a time. Except for Duke and Ryou, on the two nights the rest of the week that he _did_ actually make it to bed. His past haunted him like a zombie, an undead corpse trekking after him at a slow but steady pace so that no matter how fast he ran, he could never escape it.


	18. Unbroken

**Chapter Summary:** Ryou is a good spiritual mentor for Mokuba; Duke's superpower is cutting the crap; Seto starts to get his head on straight.

* * *

Ryou knelt before the two-foot concrete angel on the three-foot pedestal in the elaborate garden of Kaiba's estate. He had his mother's rosary beads wrapped around his clasped hands, his eyes squeezed shut as he prayed with all of his might. He didn't know to what or whom he was praying, or if it would even do any good, but at the very least, it made him feel better. There had been moments of desperation, when the Spirit of the Ring was still around, that all he could do to keep his spirits up was to pray and continue pretending that everything was normal. Sometimes, his prayers were clearly answered, and that was why he kept praying to that great Power, that vague, metaphysical Good that he believed in.

"Please," he whispered, hands clenched tightly as his stomach twisted in knots. "Please." He didn't even have the words to articulate what he wanted. He knew that he wanted things to work out in the end. He wanted Seto's emotional scars to fade, for his heart to be at ease, for the demons in his mind to be put to rest, for the pain to be healed once and for all, for him to forgive himself for the things he believed to be his fault.

"Ryou?" He opened his eyes as Mokuba's voice reached his ears. He turned to look at over his shoulder the young teen, whose expression was one of curiosity. "What are you doing?"

"Praying," he answered with a half smile.

"What are you praying for?"

"For your brother." Mokuba looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Does it work?" he asked, looking a little hopeful.

"I like to think so," Ryou answered honestly. Mokuba hesitated, then came forward to kneel beside him, imitating Ryou's posture and pose.

"If there's a chance it could help Seto, I want to try it," he said, by way of explanation. "Ryou, how do I pray?"

* * *

Duke watched Mokuba join Ryou kneeling before the angel statue from a distance, sipping his coffee as he let the curtains fall across the window once more. He left the sitting room then, deciding to have a talk with Kaiba while the other two were outside.

"Yugi has been calling me, trying to ask about you. I finally answered his call this morning," he said without preamble as he entered Seto's office. "Joey's sent me an email. Tea texted me. Tristan sent me a Facebook message. Serenity sent me an IM. They're all wondering how you're doing."

"What did you tell them?" Kaiba asked, glancing up at him for a moment before returning to work on his laptop.

"I told Yugi that you were struggling," he said honestly. "He wanted me to give you his condolences and tell you that if there's anything he can do to help, not to hesitate to call him."

Kaiba scoffed. "What could _he_ possibly do to help?" he asked dubiously.

"It's the thought that counts, Seto," Duke explained patiently, sitting in a chair in the corner of the room as he sipped his coffee and continued watching his boyfriend at work. "It's Sunday, Seto, even I'm not at work. Let yourself take a break. Why don't you go for a walk outside with me?"

Seto's fingers on the keyboard stilled and he looked up at Duke, then glanced out the window behind him. The weather looked nice enough. Besides, there was something so guileless and innocent in Duke's voice that Seto felt wretched at the thought of turning him down. "Alright," he conceded at last, standing and shrugging off his suit jacket to lay it on his desk chair before joining Duke and taking his free hand as they left his office for the pleasant outdoors.

"I'm working to finish up a new virtual reality game," Seto explained as he and Duke walked together under the cherry trees. "I'm hoping that announcing the game's release date will help the current disruption blow over."

"None of what's happening in the war-zone is your fault, Seto," Duke said suddenly, pulling Seto to a stop beneath the budding boughs. "Look at me, Seto," he ordered, voice stern, face serious. Seto faced Duke, looking a little pained, a little on his guard as Duke brought up the Middle East. "Seto Kaiba, you are not to blame for what they did with what you gave them. You pursued every alternative. You tried to catch them. You enlisted the help of the police. They would've done as much damage without your help, they just would have done it differently. If you'd resisted, they would've killed Ryou, maybe Mokuba, and maybe me too. If anything, you have _saved_ lives. _Our_ lives."

Seto's eyes watered as Duke seemed to speak as if he was reading straight from Seto's own soul, addressing each concern and protest he hadn't spoken.

"It's not your fault. Can you believe that now?" Duke asked, still looking dead serious as his emerald eyes fixed Seto to the place where he stood. Seto nodded. "Not good enough, Seto. Say it out loud."

"It's… not my fault." He sounded uncertain.

"Again," Duke said, rejecting his first attempt. "Try again."

"It's not my fault." The idea still sounded novel on his lips.

"One more time, Seto. Make me believe it."

"It's not my fault." Seto raised his voice that time, sounding insistent.

"Much better," Duke murmured in praise, transferring his coffee mug to Seto's hand before cupping Seto's cheeks in his own hands. "Don't ever let yourself believe otherwise, alright?" Seto nodded breathlessly as Duke leaned in to kiss him tenderly.

* * *

Ryou showed Mokuba how to cross himself when he finished praying, just as his mother had taught him. He stood and helped Mokuba to do the same.

"I feel kinda better about it all, now," Mokuba said candidly, as if he were exploring his own feelings about the situation for the first time.

Mokuba looked up across the garden when his brother's voice reached his ears. Ryou turned as well and grinned. "Looks like Duke is our guardian angel this time around," he commented cheerfully. As the two leaned in for a kiss, he clamped his hands over Mokuba's eyes, making the middle-schooler wriggle as he fought for freedom.

"I've seen them kiss before, you know!" he protested, not wanting to be treated like a child. "At Christmas, remember?" The mention of that particular incident made Ryou burst out laughing harder than he had in a while. Mokuba took advantage of the moment to escape Ryou's hold and run towards his brother, wanting nothing more at that moment than to embrace the best father he'd ever known. As he got close, Seto crouched down and put Duke's mug on the ground, opening his arms for Mokuba to run into them. Ryou followed at a brisk walk, just as eager about joining the rest of their family as Mokuba was. As Mokuba rushed into his brother's arms, feeling like he was finally getting to see the real him for the first time in a while, he hugged him as tightly as he possibly could, pulling a koala move and wrapping his legs around Seto's torso as he wrapped his arms around Seto's neck.

Ryou stepped up next to Duke and put an arm around his waist, kissing his cheek. "He's doing better, I take it?" he asked quietly.

"I think I finally got through to him," Duke whispered with a satisfied smile.

Seto glanced up at the two of them, his eyes shining with tears of joy—the first time he'd ever had such tears in his life. "Thank you," he mouth to the both of them, who just smiled happily back.

"Seto, can you give me a piggy-back ride?" Mokuba asked eagerly.

"Sure," his brother answered warmly, and Mokuba released him to run to his back and hop on, limbs wrapping around him again. Seto straightened up, letting out a grunt. "You're almost too big for this, Mokuba."

The younger Kaiba pouted. "I'm one of the smallest in my class; I'm not that big," he complained. Ryou and Duke kissed briefly—just a peck—before parting, Ryou joining Seto on the left and Duke on the right. As Seto's arms supported Mokuba's legs, Ryou and Duke slipped an arm of their own to link with each of his. They started to continue their walk underneath the budding sakura trees, looking for all the world as if life couldn't be more perfect.

"Don't worry about it, kiddo. Mom and Dad were both tall, so you should be getting your growth spurt soon enough." Seto was smiling, his voice sounding like summer and sunlight.

"Can you tell me more about them some time?" Mokuba asked after a few moments.

"Of course," his older brother answered, and Ryou glanced over at the brunette even as Duke glanced up at the raven-haired child.

"Hey Mokuba, have you ever considered wearing your hair in a ponytail?" the dice-master asked the young teen.

"He can wear his hair down if he wants to!" Ryou burst out before Mokuba had a chance to respond. Seto laughed out loud.

"Girls, girls, you're both pretty," Seto said in his Pegasus impersonation. "But you'll never be as pretty as me." Mokuba smothered his laughter in Seto's hair as Ryou and Duke looked at each other mischievously, then both poked Seto in the side, causing him to yelp in protest as they hit his ticklish spots.

"Hey, no fair!" he cried. "Precious cargo on board!" Mokuba beamed upon hearing that.

* * *

P.S. Kaiba's Pegasus impression is me straight-up quoting Pegasus from YGOTAS (created by LittleKuriboh). I believe that's Marik's Evil Council #3, but I might be wrong.


	19. Photographs

**Author Notes:** I hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I have so far! It's far from over, trust me, so just sit back and enjoy the ride! More reviews = faster updates, so if you liked it and want to see more, please review! Shout-out to all you lovely people that _have_ reviewed so far, because your encouragement is such a blessing! 3

* * *

The very next day, Seto came home from work before six o'clock—which was in and of itself out of the ordinary, since he was usually home much later—and made good on his promise to Mokuba. After dropping off his briefcase in his office, he disappeared for a while, then, twenty minutes later, came back to the sitting room where Ryou and Mokuba were doing their homework. Mokuba looked up when his brother entered and was immediately intrigued when he saw him carrying an old photo box.

"What's that?" he asked eagerly as he put his math textbook down on the table, all homework forgotten. Seto didn't answer right away, but removed the lid and placed it under the box before fishing out a crinkled photograph and handing it to Mokuba. The child was silent as he sat back in the couch, staring at the picture with wide eyes. Ryou leaned over to get a peak and gasped: it was their parents' wedding picture. Seto sat down on Mokuba's other side and put an arm around him, setting the photobox in his lap.

Mokuba held the picture with a kind of reverence. Then, without looking up, he asked, "What other pictures do we have?" Seto moved things around inside the photo box and pulled out a picture of his mother in the hospital holding an itty bitty Seto cradled in her arms. There was a date and a note on the back that he read quickly in his head before passing it to his brother.

"What does the back say?" Ryou asked, having seen a couple full sentences scrawled on the back in thin black pen. Mokuba flipped the picture over and scowled at the slanted cursive script, so Seto read it aloud.

"'October 25, XXXX: Seto was born eight weeks premature and the nurses say that he might not make it. I know he will, though; I can tell that he's a fighter.'" Ryou smiled at that, touched.

"What's that part?" Ryou asked, pointing to the very bottom of the note.

"She signed her name," Seto answered, occupying himself with finding more photos worth looking at.

"Sakura Sasaki," Ryou read, wondering if Seto just wasn't emotionally capable of saying his biological mother's name out loud. _He probably misses her a lot,_ Ryou mused inwardly. _Just like I miss my mom._

Mokuba's face suddenly lit up with understanding. "Is that why you planted the cherry trees in the back yard?" he asked, turning to his brother.

Seto nodded faintly. "Yeah. At the time, I didn't want to forget her, and since I couldn't remember where they were buried, I figured it would serve as a memorial to both of them." He passed Ryou the next picture, one of his parents before they were married, looking very young indeed. On the back was a date and just a few words.

"High-school sweethearts," Ryou observed in surprise. "That's adorable." The way the two of them looked at each other in the picture told Ryou that they had been very much in love. Although the color was faded, he could see the similarities between the brothers and their parents through coloring and facial structure.

Seto looked much like his father with his broad shoulders and narrow hips, although Mr. Sasaki's eyes were dark grey, not blue. Mokuba's eyes were closer to his father's, though they contained a tint of violet that the photo didn't contain. His hair was jet-black like Mokuba's, but his hairstyle was more relaxed than Seto's, the hair somewhat longer, long enough to be tied back in a little bun. He also looked far more laid back than his firstborn son, hinting that he was more of a free spirit, like Mokuba.

It was easy to see how she had contributed her features to the two of them as well. Her eyes were big and candid, like Mokuba's, and they were an icy pale blue shade, lighter than that her eldest son sported. Her hair was a fierce shade of auburn slightly redder than Seto's. Ryou paused to consider that for a moment, realizing that during the summer when they got Seto outside more often, the sunlight had indeed brought out the red in his hair. The fluorescent lighting at his office usually washed out the color, making it look plain brown. Her hair was wild and loose, vaguely resembling Mokuba's, though her hair was longer and curled in the picture, making it harder to tell. She had passed some of her proportions to her eldest son as well, specifically those ridiculously long legs of Seto's that Ryou loved so much.

Since Mokuba wasn't fully grown, they had yet to see how he'd resemble his parents in the end.

"So which one of them did you get your huge brain from?" Ryou asked. It was something he'd actually been wondering about for a long time, even though he knew geniuses didn't always come from smart parents.

"Not sure, possibly both, though," he answered vaguely, now inspecting his parents' graduation picture. "Apparently she was the valedictorian and he was the salutatorian, so they were both top of their class, but neither of them went to college. According to the dates on these pictures, they got married the summer after they graduated high school."

Mokuba was still holding close the picture of his brother as weak, tiny newborn when they heard Duke's voice in the hallway.

"Calling me was pointless, because I'm not going to bail you out this time," Duke snapped, raising his voice in anger. Ryou and Seto glanced at each other with curiosity and concern. Then they heard a bitter laugh that was uncharacteristic of their lover. "You can just take those promises and shove them up—" Ryou's hands clamped over Mokuba's ears before Seto had the time to think. The youngster squirmed, tempted to remind them that he would fourteen in just a few months, that he was going to be a high schooler in the fall, but he decided he'd indulge Ryou, to let the Brit hold onto the notion of preserving his innocence for a little while yet.

Ryou didn't uncover Mokuba's ears until Duke had hung up on whoever he'd been talking to and joined them, sighing in frustration as he dropped himself into the chair perpendicular to their couch. "People are idiots," he grumbled, closing his eyes as he dropped his head back. "Is it too early in the day for a glass of wine?"

"Nope, happy hour started at five, so you're in the clear," Seto answered with a chuckle. "Too bad you're underage." Duke scowled at that, then sighed again and tugged his hair out of its ponytail.

"I take it you didn't have a great day?" Ryou asked gently, one arm draped affectionately around Mokuba as he took the photo box from Seto and set it in his own lap to do some exploring himself.

"Not a bad day, just a bad afternoon," he grumbled. Seto handed the graduation picture to Mokuba before he stood and walked over to stand behind the chair, placing his hands on its back and staring down at Duke with a crooked grin.

"Wanna play a game? I'm sure that would get you into a better mood." Duke opened one eye as a sly smile transformed his features into an expression much more familiar. Ryou rolled his eyes. As a couple of businessmen, they both felt much more comfortable playing games of risk and chance, and had on more than one occasion played strip poker as a way of forgetting about the idiots they had to deal with at work. Ryou always declined their offer, though they did extend an offer to him every time.

He always felt queasy thinking about that particular activity because he could still remember the Spirit of the Ring playing that very game with Marik during Battle City. Marik had been screwed up in the head at the time, and in the course of his therapy a couple years ago he'd actually visited Ryou to apologize for the things he'd done to him and with his Yami during that time. It had actually brought them both a lot of closure. Marik had also expressed his interest in Ryou then, and though Ryou could admit that Marik was indeed a rather attractive man, and that he could see them together under different circumstances, he had to decline the offer. Although he'd reached his closure with the Spirit of the Ring, Marik was a reminder of unpleasant times, and that was something that would never change. Besides, at the time, Ryou'd been struggling with the two secret crushes he'd been harboring at the time: Seto and Duke.

Ryou let out a squeak as he pulled out a photo that delighted him enough to make him blush. Duke and Seto both lifted their heads to look at Ryou questioningly with their crystal eyes.

"Oh Seto, you were so cute as a little kid!" Ryou exclaimed enthusiastically, holding up the picture he'd found. They both came closer to get a look, Seto returning to his spot next to Mokuba and Duke sitting on the coffee table. The picture include their whole family: both parents and both sons. It wasn't a formal portrait, but it was of great quality. Their parents sat on the couch, their eyes and smiles full of pride and their arms around Seto, who sat between them holding baby Mokuba in his lap. His little brother had been only a few days old, by the looks of it, but the camera had captured a moment of connection between the two brothers, one that brought a surprised joy into Seto's eyes just in time for the camera to preserve it forever.

Seto carefully took the picture from Ryou and held it out between him and Mokuba, swallowing hard as he stared down at it. "I think I remember this," he said quietly. "It was the day before she died." They were all silent and solemn for a few moments.

"Can we hang that picture somewhere?" Mokuba asked. Ryou thought it sounded like a great idea. There were no personal pictures gracing the walls of the Kaiba mansion, which was partly why, to strangers and even to its occupants, it felt more like a museum and less like a home.

"Of course," Seto answered, blinking rapidly a few times before continuing. "I'll pick out some more of these pictures as well and have them restored so that we can make larger prints of them to frame. Where do you want them to go?"

"How about that wall?" Mokuba pointed to a wall that only bore a large painting of flowers—something that held no sentimental value—with a sidetable right beneath it.

"Sure thing," Seto answered and smiled. The sound of a sniffle made him look up in time to catch sight of Ryou wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. Duke quickly moved to sit on Ryou's other side and pull him into a full embrace.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to cry so much," he began to apologize, but Duke shushed him.

"You need to stop apologizing for crying," Duke said with an understanding smile as Ryou buried himself in Duke's warm presence. Seto placed a hand on Ryou's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, Mokuba also looking up at Ryou with worry in his round eyes.

"I just wish that I had more pictures of Mom and Amane," he answered after a moment, wearing a bitter smile as his hand went to his neck out of nervous habit. "My dad kind of lost it when she died, and he burned all the pictures of them that we had. I'd give almost anything to get those pictures back." His voice broke and Mokuba quickly fetched him some tissues from the box of kleenex, which Ryou accepted with gratitude. Duke loosened his hold on Ryou and Mokuba climbed up into his lap with a smile so that he could give Ryou a hug of his own. Seto scooted over so that he was directly at Ryou's side now, one arm draped across the back of the couch, encompassing all of them in his focused, protective aura.

"What's it like to have a little sister?" Mokuba asked, his arms around Ryou's neck as he sat facing him on his lap. Seto just figured that Mokuba was trying to make Ryou think of happier things, and it seemed to be working since Ryou smiled at the question.

"It's great. Little girls are adorable." He pulled the old silver locket out from under his shirt and opened it to show Mokuba the pictures of his mother and sister. Seto peaked at the locket's contents as well, having not seen them before. "Amane would be just about your age now, Mokuba."

"I always wanted a little sister," Mokuba announced as he held the little locket in his hand, making Seto chuckle with amusement.

"Is that a request?" he asked, half-jokingly.

"Yes." Mokuba looked up at his brother, whose expression was one of astonishment. "You could adopt one. It'd be easy for you to do."

"Adoption agencies don't tend to look well on unmarried men looking to adopt little girls, Mokuba," Seto explained, looking uncomfortable as a blush stained his cheeks.

"Well, we could fix that easily enough," Duke pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "All we'd need is the right paperwork and a few rings, right?"

Mokuba perked up hearing that. "And once you're married, then you can adopt a sister for me, right?"

"Well, yes, theoretically," Seto answered, sounding hesitant for reasons Mokuba couldn't understand.

"Then there shouldn't be any problem, right?" he asked, becoming enthusiastic at the real possibility of having a little sister.

"Except that we don't know the first thing about raising little girls," Seto pointed, flustered. It was as if Mokuba's request for a sister had pushed the panic button in Seto's mind. Sure, he'd functioned and acted as Mokuba's father for years now, ever since he was fourteen and took over KaibaCorp, but the idea of adopting a little person that would actually call him "father" freaked him out. It made him feel old.

"We could hire a nanny, like a Victorian governess," Ryou proposed tentatively. Personally, he liked the idea of adopting a little girl because it would feel like having a little sister again. "She could help with all of the things we'd know nothing about."

Duke didn't seem to feel too strongly about it either way although he was perfectly willing to go along with it. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind having another kid around," he said. "So long as she's a cool as you." He grinned at Mokuba and rumpled his hair, then glanced over at a still-stunned Seto and chuckled.

"Hey Seto, earth to Seto! Hey, are you in there?" Duke called, snapping Seto out of his reverie.

"Yeah, yeah I'm here," he answered, his absent-minded tone and expression betraying the truth. "I'll see about making the arrangements for the paperwork. We can choose rings later."


	20. Bonds

Ryou groaned as Duke's fingernails dug into his back, pulling against the wrist restraints as he arched closer to his partner, wanting to feel the brush of skin against skin. Duke continued to tease him, though, brushing his lips across his uke's collarbone as the tip of his erection brushed along his stomach. Duke paused in his attentions to pick up something off to the side. A blindfold. Duke moved to tie it on Ryou, not stopping to ask. They'd done this much before, so Duke knew it was alright.

Going into their unorthodox, three-person relationship, Duke had already been the kinkiest of them all. When he'd broached the subject of bondage as a possible recreation, Seto had shut down, refusing to partake. Now that they knew about his past, they understood why. Ryou, however, had been willing to try it. He was open-minded enough to try at least once and see if he liked it. He _had_ enjoyed it, and they had yet to discover his limits.

* * *

Duke freed Ryou from his bonds and flopped down onto the cushioned floor beneath them, Ryou crawling over to curl up against Duke's side, kissing the spot over his heart as Duke wrapped an arm around his willowy figure, kissing the top of his head.

"So your dad's been asking you to bail him out again?" Ryou asked quietly. "What was it this time?"

"Public disturbance, tax evasion, and to make matters worse, he has tens of thousands of dollars in gambling debts. And he expects _me_ to bail him out and pay them off! _Me!_ The son he disowned and rejected. After telling me that my only purpose for existing was to be the instrument of his revenge, I'm hardly going to be doing him any favors. Ever." Duke's voice was full of anger and venom as he ranted, making Ryou wince.

The worst part was, Ryou could completely empathize with him: his own father had called him just that morning, trying to get Ryou to come to the twins' birthday party. Their names were Rin and Ren, which must have been intended as something cutesy, but disgusted Ryou to no end; after having struggled with identity issues himself for years, he could just imagine how they'd be screwed up later in life because of it. Ryou hadn't quite told his father no, but he'd been honest in telling him that he probably wouldn't show up. Then Ryou's father had tried wheedling Ryou into coming with the pathetic promise of father-son bonding, at which point Ryou had told him that he needed to get to class and would call later. It wasn't quite true, but Ryou hadn't been in any mood or state to deal with his father's guilt-prompted attempts to reconnect with the son he'd abandoned. He also wasn't sure he even wanted to call him back.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't take out my frustration on you," Duke sighed, caressing Ryou and pressing more kisses to his pale cheeks and neck.

"Hmmm." Ryou hummed with contentment, catching Duke's lips in a brief kiss before murmuring, "How about we get back to our bedroom before we fall asleep right here." Duke nodded his agreement and quickly dressed the two of them in their dressing gowns and carried a sleepy Ryou back to their bedroom, where Seto had yet to join them. He was working late tonight, and he'd warned them that he would be, but he'd also told them that it involved a pressing legal matter that couldn't wait and that he'd make special time for them tomorrow.

"My dad wants me to visit them for his kids' birthday party," Ryou admitted as Duke pulled the sheets up over him. "He says that her whole extended family will be there. He wants me to meet them all, the aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents…"

"You sound miserable just talking about it," Duke observed, sliding into bed beside Ryou and stroking his side soothingly. "Even if you didn't go alone, even if me or Seto or Mokuba, or even _all_ of us, went with you, you'd still hate going. All of those strangers, probably loud and obnoxious, asking prying questions that you'd have to answer over and over again." Ryou smiled gratefully at Duke, who was only repeating the kinds of complaints that he'd heard Ryou vocalize on more than one occasion about parties, clubs, large social functions. Ryou lifted a hand to trace his finger along Duke's jawline, his eyes dewy and soft.

"I love that you know me so well," he murmured, rubbing his nose against Duke's. The dice-master smirked and brushed Ryou's hair away from his face.

"What kind of a master would I be if I didn't know everything about my little kitten?" Duke whispered, making Ryou blush discernibly in the darkness. "Now sleep, little one, and I'll guard you while you dream."

"I'm not… _that_ little," Ryou murmured, his eyes fluttering closed as he interrupted himself with a yawn. "I'm actually quite an average height…" Although his words spoke of protest, his tone was yielding and he cuddled closer to Duke as he began to doze off. He loved how Duke spoke like a medieval minstrel after they had sex. He wondered if he did it with Seto, too…

* * *

 _ **The next night...**_

Duke cradled Seto's head against his chest, combing his fingers through his auburn hair. It was getting long again, and Duke couldn't help but think of the picture they'd hung on the wall in the parlor and how Seto's father's hair had looked like that.

"How are you holding up under the media buzz now that you're back at the office?" Duke asked softly. He'd been wanting to ask all week.

"I'm fine. It's nothing I can't handle," Seto murmured, his eyes closed and his expression one of peace.

"It's okay to admit when you're only hurting a little bit, Seto," he murmured and kissed Seto's eyelids. "It doesn't have to be a breakdown or an emergency for you to open up and show us your pain."

"I'm fine," Seto repeated.

"You've come a long way, Seto, but I'm not going to rest until you've reached the end." Duke kissed Seto's forehead. "Now please, open up about the little things too. It bothers you when they whisper about the video and pictures, doesn't it?" Seto let out a long sigh.

"Yes," he admitted, sounding almost as if it pained him to say so.

"Now was that so hard?" Duke's lips traced down to Seto's cheekbones, brushing along those handsome, defining features of his. "Doesn't it feel better to just be honest about it?" Seto breathed deeply and let out another slow breath.

"Yes."

"Good," Duke whispered across Seto's lips. "You should try it more often. That lets us help you even when it's not a crisis. Letting us help you with the little things helps us to _avoid_ the crisis. You understand that, don't you?"

Seto grunted agreement and took Duke's lips in an eager kiss, but Duke pulled back after a few moments. "Tell me about your day? What little things happened that bothered you."

"I rode the elevator with some interns today, and they stared at me as if I'd grown a second head. I had to glare at them to make them shut up." He sighed in exasperation, and Duke intertwined their fingers with one pair of hands. "When's it going to stop? I'm the same man that I was a month ago, that I was a year ago. More or less. My past hasn't changed at all, I'm just more… recovered now than I was then." He sighed again. "I just want it all to _stop_."

" _Per aspera ad astra_ ," Duke whispered in accent as he leaned in to give Seto another brief kiss. Seto looked puzzled by his words. "It's Latin for, 'Through the thorns to the stars.'"

"Have you been talking to Ryou again about Catholicism?" Seto asked wryly.

Duke smirked and ignored the comment. "Just look ahead to the light at the end of the tunnel, Seto. We all know that you'll only be stronger at the end of all this. Besides, you have the marriage and the adoption to look forward to." Seto grunted noncommittally and brought Duke's head down into a deeper kiss than the one before.

"My, my, isn't someone hungry tonight," Duke teased. "You really ready for another round?"


	21. Justice

**Author Notes:** Sorry this took so long to write! I kinda hit a wall after Chapter 20. Please review and tell me what you think! _More reviews = more chapters_ , so if you want another chapter, review!

* * *

Ryou had just finished a game of Monster World with Duke and Mokuba and was putting the dice and figurines away when he heard an all-too familiar voice from behind him, a voice that he thought he'd never hear again, a voice that chilled his very bones and paralyzed him with fear.

"Long time, no see, Yadonushi."

He wanted to believe that this was just another of those times when his own mind conjured up the voice of the Spirit of the Millennium Ring, but he already knew that couldn't be true. It sounded much too REAL. Reluctantly, timidly, he turned around and saw the spirit sitting precariously on the edge of the diorama table.

"Come now, don't look so surprised. Didn't I tell you that I could never be destroyed?"

"But… But we didn't destroy you, we sent you to the spirit world, didn't we? I thought you'd finally passed on." Ryou swallowed nervously, unable to quench the fear he felt in the Spirit's presence. After everything he'd done to him, how was he supposed to be calm? For years, he'd been free of that invasive presence in his mind. And now, he was back from the dead, back from the afterlife. Not even hell could contain him.

"You already know that I'm capable of far more than anything any of you can possibly imagine, so why are so shocked?" He titled his head to the side as he grinned mischievously.

"Why did you come back?" It was the only thing Ryou could think to ask.

"Because I have unfinished business here," he answered, standing up to walk closer to his host. Ryou backed away instinctively, but when his back bumped against the display case for his figurines and the Spirit put his hands on either side of Ryou's head, he knew that he was trapped. "And I need you to help me."

"Why should I help you?"

"You don't have a choice, Yadonushi. You never _have_ had a choice in any of it, you know."

"Yeah… I know." Ryou's cheeks turned red as he ducked his head, his eyes watering for a moment as he wrapped his arms around himself in a vain attempt at comfort. Bakura smirked at him, then began to laugh. That wretched laugh, that horrible, insane, triumphant laugh that Ryou had always hated was now inescapable once more. He closed his eyes, his back sliding down the display case as he sat on the floor, huddled into a ball as he put his hands over his ears, trying to block out the sound.

* * *

"Hey, Ryou, what's taking so—" Duke had entered the room to see what was taking Ryou so long, only to find him on the floor, hands clamped over his ears and his eyes squeezed shut. "Are you alright?"

Ryou opened his eyes and looked around the room, his shoulders relaxing a little as his eyes came to rest on Duke. He dropped his hands to his knees and offered him a weak smile and said, "Y-yes, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine to me." Duke entered the room and crouched down beside Ryou, his green eyes studying Ryou's face carefully. "Something's wrong, Ryou, I can tell. What is it."

Ryou hesitated, his breath catching in his throat for a moment. "I just… I started to remember… _him_." He looked down at his left hand, and Duke immediately understood. He kissed Ryou's forehead, then gently took his hands and helped Ryou to stand, wrapping his arms around Ryou and squashing him against his chest.

"Everything's okay now, Ryou. He's gone for good and you know Seto and I would do anything to protect you," he murmured into Ryou's hair, then let his cheek rest against Ryou's. They embraced for several long moments, Duke's reassurance easing Ryou's mind. Maybe he'd only been imagining things. Maybe stress was just making his mind play tricks on him as finals approached. Stress-induced hallucinations were a thing, right? It hadn't happened to him before, but he was sure it wasn't _that_ out of the ordinary.

"Now come on, let's go get lunch." He pat Ryou's head affectionately and teased, "I'll have to be careful not to leave you alone, now, too. What would you and Seto do without me?"

* * *

A month later, in the course of which Duke and Ryou were trying to come up with a good design for their wedding rings, Seto received a phone-call informing him that the police had finally tracked down the man they believed to be guilty of kidnapping his brother and blackmailing him. They were wondering if he could bring Mokuba in to confirm his identity. He said that he would. He almost didn't tell Duke and Ryou, but after thinking over the many times they'd told him that he didn't have to bear his burdens alone.

"I'm taking Mokuba to the police station tomorrow," Seto said as he removed his tie after work.

"Oh, come now, Seto, don't you think that's a bit extreme? All he did was kiss the girl," Duke joked as he sat on the bed, looking over the final designs for a new series of dice he would be releasing soon. Ryou, curled up on his side next to Duke in a very feline manner, giggled at that. Duke smiled at him, continuing to pet Ryou's hair with one hand. Seto rolled his eyes at the two of them.

"That's not why, although I feel like I ought to have given him some kind of punishment for that," Seto answered, exasperated as he recalled that fiasco from last week. "I honestly can't recall a more embarrassing moment in my life than when the middle school principle called me in because of that." Thinking about that event—and the awkward conversation with his brother that followed it—still made his face feel hot. "No, it has nothing to do with that. They called me today and asked me to bring him in to identify his kidnapper. They think they have him, but a positive ID from Mokuba would clinch it and ensure his conviction." The other two feel silent, thinking.

"Once he's locked up, we'll finally be able to put all of this behind us," Ryou said with a sigh, closing his eyes as he nuzzled his head against Duke's hand.

"If you ask me, being locked up is too good a punishment for him," Duke said bitterly, his green eyes narrowing as he glared at a spot on the far wall. He would never forgive that creep who caused his family harm: poisoning Ryou, kidnapping Mokuba, torturing Seto's poor, angsty soul and causing him to relapse.

"Do you need one of us to go with you?" Ryou asked, unsure of how well Seto would be able to handle seeing the man who'd caused him so much pain. Seto sat on the edge of the bed and leaned back until his head was resting on Duke's lap. He reached one hand back above his head until his fingers could stroke Ryou's hair as well.

"I don't know," he answered. "There's a part of me that wants to just forget about him entirely, and another part of me that wants to push for the death penalty." He ceased petting Ryou to drop his forearm across his eyes melodramatically. "I'm such a horrible person."

"How many times do I have to tell you that you're not allowed to say that?" Duke asked, looking cross. He put down the papers with the new dice designs and caressed Seto's cheek gently. "It's only natural that you would have complicated feelings towards him, even violent feelings. Personally, I would love to strangle him myself, but I'm not allowed to." A small whine from Ryou drew his attention, and he noticed that his eyes were closed and he'd pressed his hands to his ears, just like he had a month ago after their Monster World game. "What's wrong, Ryou?" he asked gently, realizing that this might still be a sore subject for him. Seto rolled onto his stomach and propped himself up on his forearms as he looked down at Ryou, prompted by his concern.

"I just… can we please not talk about it?" Ryou stammered, pulling his hands away from his ears and looking up at Duke and Seto with dewy eyes. In truth, Ryou still had gaps in his memories from when the Spirit used to overtake him on a regular basis, and sometimes words of violence would trigger images and visions of things the Spirit had done during some of those times. And it most certainly didn't help to have him leering at Ryou from behind Duke, grinning like a feral cat as it plays with its prey.

"Sure, we can stop talking about it." Seto nuzzled his head against Ryou's affectionately—something he only did rarely and that Ryou cherished. Ryou lifted his head and responded in kind, finding comfort in the gesture even as he heard Bakura scoff at him for being so sentimental.

* * *

The next day, Mokuba was indeed able to confirm the man in custody to be the one who'd kidnapped him. Apparently, he was an international black market arms dealer, and quite a successful one at that. He'd been an employee at the old KaibaCorp during Gozaburo's reign. He'd sought to advance higher in status, but was refused because he was judged to be incompetent. He'd been one of the many whose expertise was no longer required when Seto took over and redirected the company's focus. Seto couldn't fight the hatred and disgust that swelled within him as he stared at the man, but he managed to get out of there without saying or doing anything out of line.


	22. Return

Ryou was packing his suitcase as Bakura leaned against the wall and watched, smirking as he did so. Ryou was leaving in a couple days for a study-abroad summer session in London. He'd be taking a class in archaeological anthropology at the same university where his father had gotten his master's degree. He'd be gone for four weeks, and while Duke and Seto had resisted the idea of him leaving, he'd pointed out that there wouldn't be a better time for him to visit his childhood home than now, and this way, by taking a class, he also got course credit out of the whole trip.

No, June wasn't the best time of year to visit London, but Ryou would just be happy to _be_ there. He'd missed everything about living in England, the good weather and the bad, the good memories and the bad, and that included the lost half of his family. His mother's and sister's graves were in England, and he wished to pay the a visit while he was there to show his respect. Lighting candles and placing flowers by the angel statue in the garden just wasn't the same thing.

"I'm impressed with how well you've done without me," Bakura commented lazily. "It's almost like you've actually developed a personality of your own."

"Shut up," Ryou growled, tired of the jabs. He started rolling his jeans so that he could fit them into his suitcase in the most space-efficient way possible.

"Oh, feisty are we?" Bakura chuckled. "When did you grow a spine? You didn't have one last time I was here. I must say, I am impressed with what you've achieved: how many people can say that they've shagged the CEO of KaibaCorp?" He chuckled again, adding, "Not only that, but you have that him and that cad wrapped around your finger. Did you get that idea from when I invited Marik to our soul room during Battle City?" Ryou flinched involuntarily at that memory, his cheeks on fire.

"I said shut _up_ ," Ryou snapped, turning around to glare at Bakura. "You're just jealous because you don't even have a real body of your own and you can't do as you please. You never have. Bakura isn't even your own name; you stole it from Akefia, from me."

"And you stole it from the father you now reject," he pointed out. "Besides, what makes you think I haven't already slept with your pets?" he winked his host, who was frozen for a moment at the prospect of such a thing happening. No, Bakura was bluffing. Seto and Duke would know if it wasn't him. They would know better. Bakura may be a good actor, and he'd had the opportunity to perfect mimicking Ryou, but Ryou had changed a lot in four years, and Seto and Duke knew him better than anybody else. If anybody would realize that Ryou was acting strangely, it would be them.

"It's none of your business what my relationship with my father is," Ryou retorted defensively. Bakura was the last person he wished to talk to about his father.

"Well, I can't really _blame_ you for hating him," Bakura continued, ignoring Ryou. "After all, he did you give you _me_ , and we all know how you feel about _that_." He smirked as Ryou became flustered.

"I don't understand how you can show such disrespect to me, to everybody. Don't you have even an ounce of decency left in you?"

"No, of course I don't. But you already knew that, didn't you, Yadonushi?"

He reached out a hand to pat Ryou on the head, but the young man flinched away from his hand. "I told you not to call me that," he muttered, backing away a few steps before he turned around to continue packing.

"But, Landlord, that's my pet-name for you," Bakura crooned, his voice smooth and cold like the blade of a knife. "I would have thought you'd realize by now just how much you mean to me."

"What are you playing at?" he asked, doubting that he would get a straight answer, but hoping that the thief would slip up and drop a clue.

"Nothing, I'm just letting my Yadonushi know how much I appreciate him." His voice was low and suggestive as he pushed away from the wall and hopped onto the bed, sprawling himself across the covers next to Ryou's suitcase. He gazed up at his host with hooded eyes, unnerving the college student and making him pause in his packing to stare at the ancient Spirit with suspicion.

"Get off of my clothes!" Ryou ordered, receiving no reaction whatsoever from the Spirit. He huffed and pulled another pair of jeans out from under the other's leg. He didn't understand how Bakura could interact with physical things this time around when he couldn't years ago, but he could and it scared Ryou. He didn't know just how much he was physically capable of without overtaking Ryou's body, but he wasn't eager to find out.

"Mind if I smoke in here?" Bakura asked cheekily. He was baiting Ryou, and Ryou knew it, but he couldn't help but respond.

"Yes, I _do_ mind. You are _not_ allowed to smoke in here! Why would a Spirit need to smoke anyways?"

"It's tough to be a god, Yadonushi," he answered, tucking his hands behind his head as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stared at the ceiling, making Ryou roll his eyes.

"I _told_ you not to—" Ryou broke off as Bakura's legs suddenly wrapped around his waist and pulled him close to the edge of the bed. "Don't touch me!" he shouted in panic, jerking away from the Spirit, who narrowed his eyes at him in disapproval.

"Looks like I need to train you all over again," he growled, leaping from the bed and lunging for Ryou, knocking him back into the wall, his body dropping to the floor as he blacked out.

* * *

Seto was walking from the kitchen with a fresh cup of coffee to his office when he saw Duke skulking outside the partially-open doors to their bedroom.

"What are you doing?" he asked when he was several feet away, raising an eyebrow at him. Duke shushed him and beckoned him over with one hand.

When Seto was close enough, Duke whispered, "Listen."

"I don't understand how you can show such disrespect to me, to everybody. Don't you have even an ounce of decency left in you?" That was Ryou's voice, but he didn't hear a response.

"Is he on the phone?" Seto whispered, and Duke shook his head, looking serious. They both fell silent and listened.

"I told you not to call me that," Ryou muttered, barely audible from their position. A pause. "What are you playing at?" Another pause. "Get off of my clothes!" Seto couldn't remember the last time he'd heard Ryou so genuinely frustrated with someone.

"Is there…?" Duke answered Seto's question before he asked it by shaking his head no. Seto was becoming serious too. Something was off, something was wrong.

"Yes, I _do_ mind. You are _not_ allowed to smoke in here! Why would a Spirit need to smoke anyways?"

Seto and Duke stared at each other, mouthing the word "spirit" in sync. Seto was the first to understand.

"I told you not to—" Something interrupted him, but they couldn't tell what. "Don't touch me!" Duke tensed, but Seto didn't hesitate to burst through the doors.

"Ryou!" he called as the Brit slid down the wall to the floor, unconscious. There was nobody else in the room and no sign that Ryou had been talking on the phone, just like Duke had said. He set down his coffee and went to kneel by Ryou's side, lifting him with ease and laying him on the part of the bed that wasn't covered with his clothes and suitcase. Seto, reasonably afraid of what could conceivably be going on, lay beside Ryou on the bed, putting an arm around him as if he could protect Ryou from his own mind with Seto's own physical presence. Duke sat on the edge of the bed next to Ryou's knees, pulling out his phone.

"If that Evil Spirit is back, we need to get Yugi's help. He's better with that stuff than either of us," the dice-master said by means of explanation. He sent his text to Yugi, then put his phone away and stared worriedly at Ryou. "That… _demon_ that possessed him really screwed with his head in the past. It took a long time for him to get past all of that, and I'm afraid this will just undo all of his recovery." He sighed and undid his ponytail, running his fingers through his hair as he fidgeted with the strands nervously. He gathered the hair together in his hands once more and secured it with an emerald green hair elastic, tugging it tightly until it was secure and letting his hands drop back to his lap. All the while, he watched Seto carefully brush Ryou's hair off of his face, touch his cheek lightly, then let his hand fall to hold Ryou's hand while Duke clasped Ryou's other hand, unable to help himself. They waited in scared silence for their husband to wake up.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** I'm really excited for the next few chapters of this story. ^_^


	23. Homeward Bound

When Ryou woke up a few minutes later, he was disoriented at first. He was cradled in Seto's arms on the bed while Duke was talking to someone on the phone.

"He's awake!" Seto's face came into view, and Ryou smiled weakly back at him.

"I-I'm sorry, I should have eaten something—" he began, trying to write it off as another hypoglycemic episode, but neither of them looked like they believed him.

"That's not what happened, is it?" Seto said gravely.

"What do you mean? What else could it have been?" Ryou asked nervously, unaware that they already knew his secret.

"Ryou, we know that he's back," Seto answered sadly, kissing Ryou's forehead as he held him even closer. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I don't know what you mean—" He was starting to feel panicky. Bakura would be angry that they knew, and when Bakura was angry, Ryou was always the one to suffer for it.

"Ryou, _we know_ ," Seto tucked Ryou's hair behind his ear. "Don't lie to me." Ryou's eyes watered, and he pressed his face into Seto's shoulder.

"He said I wasn't allowed to tell anybody," Ryou whispered. "He said he'd hurt one of you if I told anybody, and I couldn't…" Seto shushed him gently, understanding Ryou's predicament far too well. Duke turned around then, look tense as he handed Ryou his cell phone.

"It's Yugi. Tell him what's going on, because he'd got the best shot at helping you out of anyone."

Ryou accepted the phone and put it to his ear, Duke sitting on the edge of the bed, just watching them as he waited anxiously to see how this all would play out.

"Hello?" he said a little shakily.

"Ryou, how long has he been back?" Yugi asked with concern.

"A-About a month," he answered, giving a little sigh of relief, even as he feared how Bakura would retaliate to this.

"Why didn't you come to me for help?"

"He said that if I told anybody, someone would get hurt."

"Has the Millennium Ring reappeared?"

"No, I haven't seen it since Egypt."

"How often have you been seeing him?"

"It… varies. Sometimes he's around for most of the day, sometimes I don't see him for days at a time."

"Has he asked you to do anything for him? Go anywhere, get something, anything like that? He did that in the past, right?"

"Yes, that's what he did last time, but he hasn't asked for anything, not yet. He will though, I just don't know when. The first time I saw him a month ago, he said that there was something he still needed to do."

Seto's arm around Ryou's shoulders tensed, pulling him just a little closer.

"Call me as soon as you find out anything more about his plans. Is anything different about the way he interacts with you, or is it exactly the same as last time?"

"It's exactly the same, he's just much more… vocal now than before. Before he didn't talk to me much, unless he had a direct demand or order for me. Now, it's almost all he does."

Duke shifted and eased himself down on the bed on Ryou's other side, his hand resting on Ryou's thigh as he and Seto listened to their conversation.

"I'm going to talk to Ishizu and Odion and see if I can get any answers. Once I've talked to them, I'll call you back, okay? Don't worry, we'll figure this out."

"Thank you, Yugi." They said their goodbyes and hung up, Ryou dropping his hand with the phone to his stomach and dropping his head back on the pillow, closing his eyes with a sigh.

"I don't think you should go to England," Duke said. Ryou opened his mouth to protest, but Seto spoke up.

"I think he's right: you shouldn't be leaving, not when you're like this," the brunette concurred, giving Ryou's shoulders a reassuring squeeze.

"I _have_ to go!" Ryou protested, tearing up again as he became upset and started rambling. "I haven't been in England since I was there as a child, I'm registered to take a class at University, I was going to find my mother's grave, I…" He'd dissolved into tears, and Seto and Duke held him close.

"We can talk about this later," Seto decided, glancing over at Duke, who nodded. "Let's just focus on taking care of you." Ryou nodded as Seto stroked his pale hair and Duke nuzzled against him, his arm around Ryou's waist.

* * *

An hour later, they had finished packing Ryou's suitcase for him—at his insistence—and were cuddling up with him in a warm blanket on their bed, offering physical and verbal assurance as they discussed their course of action for next few days, specifically, whether or not Ryou should go to England.

"Would you object to my assigning you a protective detail?" Seto offered hesitantly. "You know I have many well-trained, discrete security agents at my disposal."

"What would they be protecting me from? Myself?" Ryou sounded hopeless. Duke handed Ryou his cup of herbal tea from the nightstand and the younger man accepted it with a sigh. Duke was trying to keep Ryou from getting upset again by using the herbal tea as a relaxing agent.

"Maybe we could let you go, but come out and visit you halfway through, to make sure you're doing alright," Duke suggested, rubbing Ryou's arm gently. "Besides, we'd miss you too much to manage four weeks without seeing you." That comment, while sincere, was also flattery that succeeded in making Ryou soften and smile.

"But is that enough?" Seto asked, still anxious on Ryou's behalf. The caffeine from his coffee didn't make it any better. "A lot can happen in two weeks."

"I'll video-chat you both every day, I promise," Ryou said, turning to each to give them a smile. "And I'll tell you and Yugi as soon as something happens."

Mokuba popped into the room just then, looking curious. "Hey, I was wondering where you all were," he said as he walked up to the bed and climbed onto it. "Is something going on?" He was observant enough to notice when his brother was worried about something. Besides, it was weird that the three of them would be sitting on their bed under a fuzzy blanket in late May.

"Yeah," Ryou said. He wasn't going to lie to Mokuba, and as the young teen settled himself on Ryou's lap, he tilted his head back to look up at his brother-in-law expectantly. "The Spirit of the Ring is back." Mokuba blinked, then dropped his head again, looking forward as he processed this information.

"I remember him," he said quietly. He thought back to the events following the Duel Monsters KC World Championship, how he'd been kidnapped by the Evil Spirit. He remembered Tristan telling him how the same Spirit had tried to possess his own body while Pegasus had his soul trapped. Ryou realized that Mokuba must be scared of the Spirit taking over again.

"Don't worry, I still have full control," he said reassuringly, putting his arms around Mokuba after passing off his tea to Duke. He paused to think about that for a moment. "He hasn't taken over at all yet." He said ponderously. "I still have control."

"I'll let Yugi know," Duke said, reaching for his cell.

"Well, that's good news," Seto said with a sigh, leaning over to kiss the top of Ryou's head. "Why didn't you think to mention it before?" Ryou was silent, staring off at the edge of the bed. "Ryou?" He made a small sound in the back of his throat and leaned against Seto's shoulder, closing his eyes in the process.

"Why can't he just leave me _alone_?" His whispered plea made all eyes turn on him, and he was soon enveloped in a warm group hug.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Yet another chapter that contains a beautiful tableau of these four characters that I wish somebody would make fan-art of. Please, somebody! Do that and I will love you forever! (Pst, the other tableau was in the very end of Chapter 18.) The next tableau I do will have Duke in the center. I don't know what it will be yet, but I'll make it happen.


	24. Revival

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?"

"Why didn't you ask me for help? I would have been more than willing to give you the money."

"Because he doesn't _deserve_ anybody's help at this point. Every time I dig him out of debt, he goes right back in," Duke said disdainfully. "And I didn't know that he owed money to the mafia this time. If I'd known that they would hunt me down and try to coerce the money out of _you_ , I would have done something sooner, before things got out of hand."

"Out of hand? That's what you call you getting abducted by the mob and having three fingers broken? _Out of hand?!_ " Seto was angry, to say the least, but he was only angry because he had been so scared that something terrible would happen to Duke.

"Well, it's nothing that hasn't happened before," he snapped, clearly bitter, more towards his father than anybody else. "If he'd told me it was the mob again, I _would_ have done something and I _would_ have told you what's going on."

"Well it's a bit late for that!"

They both sighed, and as Seto stopped at a red-light, he reached over and pulled Duke close so he could kiss him hard. He would have kissed him longer if he wasn't driving and at a traffic signal.

"If there's even a _chance_ of you getting hurt, of there being an enemy or a threat, I _need_ to know about it. I can't keep you safe if I don't know," Seto breathed in a low voice, kissing Duke's temple before pulling away and watching the light as he waited for green. "If your father had dealings with the mafia in the past, I should have known about it, because it puts _you_ at risk should it ever happen again."

Duke nodded, still cradling his broken hand in his lap. Seto was taking him home because he'd get the proper medical treatment he needed much sooner there than at a proper hospital. Emergency room waiting times were notoriously long, and getting longer every day.

"I still don't understand why you withheld that kind of information from me. You should know better than to think that you should be embarrassed about anything with me. If your dad is addicted to gambling and a convicted felon, I don't care, because it doesn't say anything about you. If your mother is in rehab for being an alcoholic"—Duke winced because he hadn't told Seto that; he'd told Ryou, and Ryou must have told Seto—"I don't care. I don't think any less of you because of it. If anything, I think it's admirable that you're still trying to help them with their issues even though they were crappy parents. I'm proud of you for that." He rubbed Duke's shoulder as the light turned green and he kept driving in his brisk, skilled manner.

"I'm sorry. You're right: I should have told you sooner." Duke's tone was resigned as he stared out the side window as the world passed in a blur. He closed his eyes then; Seto's driving could get wild, and usually he was fine with it, but the pain in his hand made his stomach queasier than usual.

"I'm not mad at you. I understand why you wouldn't want to talk about it. Is there anything else I should know?"

"I don't think so," Duke said after a moment of thought.

"How many times has the mob gotten you because of your dad?" Seto asked, sickened at the thought.

"Just two or five times before," Duke muttered, slouching back into his seat.

"Five times?!" Seto gasped, appalled. "That's almost as many times as Mokuba!" He glanced over at the skulking Duke briefly. "Did they break your fingers each time?"

"No, this is only the third time they've done that," he grumbled.

Seto fell silent, and Duke glanced over at him to see that he was scowling darkly as he drove.

"Seto?"

"No father should put his son in danger like that," he muttered. In truth, he'd started to think about his own actions in the past, how he'd put Mokuba in danger multiple times, causing him to be abducted and come to harm on multiple times. And did Mokuba have any truer father than Seto himself? He was no better than Duke's father.

* * *

Seto handed Duke an ice-pack, which he pressed to his blackened eye.

"Did they fix your hand?"

"Yeah." Duke held up his left hand with the splinted fingers and pressed the ice-pack to his right eye. Seto sat beside him on the edge of the bed, putting an arm around him and holding him close.

"Ryou's not going to be happy to hear about this," the brunette said quietly.

"No, he won't, but I guess there's no way to not tell him." Duke sighed, snuggling against Seto's chest.

"We're just lucky that Mokuba wasn't more upset by it than he was. How are you going to work with your hand broken?"

"Well, it's not my dominant hand, so I should be able to survive just fine."

"You should take a day off. You don't _have_ to work on Saturday if you're not up for it," Seto pointed out. "Why don't you just stay home with me? Please?"

"How am I supposed to say no when you use that sad puppy-dog voice and eyes?" Duke looked up at Seto with some dewy eyes of his own, and Seto chuckled, planting a kiss on Duke's cheek as the dice-master laughed softly.

Seto helped Duke undress, more than happy to help him with his clothes when he was somewhat incapacitated. They were still able to have fun, despite his injuries, but there was a little ache in their chests when they were finished and half-asleep.

"I miss Ryou," Seto whispered.

"Me too," Duke sighed.

"If it ever gets too bad, just let me know, and I can jet us over there in just a few hours."

Duke let out a laugh hard enough to make his stomach hurt.

"Seto, your driving is dangerous enough without you being in a rush," he choked out at last.

"What's _wrong_ with my driving?" Seto feigned offense.

"You act entitled even on the road," Duke laughed, making Seto smirk.

"I'll show you entitled." He looped his arm around Duke's waist and pulled Duke close, kissing him between bursts of laughter, rolling the darker-haired man beneath him.

Perhaps Duke was a little slap-happy after the relief of being saved, and maybe that was a good thing. Maybe he needed the distraction, and maybe he needed the extra attention after feeling like he'd been betrayed by his father all over again.

"I love you," Duke gasped out as he became re-accustomed to the feeling of Seto inside him.

"I love you too," the billionaire answered, giving him a kiss before he began to move between his beloved's legs, eliciting a groan of pleasure that made him smile.

* * *

A week and a half into his visit to London, Ryou was enjoying himself, despite the circumstances. Yes, Bakura was taunting him at every chance he got, but he was getting used to it, and he'd only had one migraine since coming to England. He'd done some research since his arrival, and had finally found where his mother and sister were buried.

He visited his second Wednesday, after class, leaving irises for his mother—her favorite—and daisies for Amane. They were symbolic of youth, innocence, joy—all the things Amane'd had before she died. He cried a little—as his family (it was still strange to apply that term to Seto, Duke, and Mokuba) had predicted—but he still felt better. He went to a little cafe afterward, one near his childhood home. He remembered going there after church on Sundays, and was surprised that it was still around.

He got himself a cup of hot chocolate, needing something comforting, but as he turned around after retrieving his hot chocolate, he accidentally bumped into an older woman who'd been approaching.

"Oh, I'm so sorry—" He began apologizing as she assured him it was alright, but after a moment she froze, looking at his face carefully, a flicker of recognition in her eyes before it was reflected in his own.

"Ryou, it's you…" As she started tearing up, she threw her arms around him, hugging him close as a stunned Ryou tried to process what was happening.

"Mom?!"

* * *

 **Author Notes:** I was going to make a "thanks Obama" joke when I was talking about the hospitals, but then I remembered that I technically put them in Japan, and that it wouldn't be accurate. :/ Hey, at least I got to make a joke about how many times Mokuba's been kidnapped! XD

Did you like my plot twist?! ^w^ Please review, and tell me what you think! This will all resolve itself nicely, I promise. I can actually see the end of this fic in sight. :( However, it'll be nice to actually finish a story, and who knows, maybe I'll even write a sequel at some point!


	25. Catching Up

"So, you and Amane have been in the witness protection program all this time?" Ryou was still feeling quite astounded that he'd found his mother while in London. The odds of it were astronomical. His feelings about it were rather mixed, but he still felt overjoyed that the missing half of his family was actually _alive_. "But did you really _have_ to fake your own deaths, though?"

"We had no choice, sweetie," his mother explained, her wet hazel eyes gazing at him with affection and regret as she brushed his bangs off of his face and leaned in to give his forehead another kiss as they sat side by side on the park bench. "It was in the government's hands, and they insisted that it was far too dangerous for people to even know that we were alive."

"So that's why the caskets were closed at the funeral, now because you were so badly injured, but because you weren't there," he said quietly. He'd put the funeral out of his mind ever since it happened, preferring to remember them when they were alive rather than their interment. "Does Dad know that you're alive?"

"No, we couldn't tell him either," his mother answered with a sigh. "How is he? Is he doing alright? Did he… move on?" Sadness flickered in her eyes, and it occurred to Ryou that his mother had been just as screwed over by Mr. Bakura as Ryou had been.

"Yeah, he moved on, alright," Ryou answered a little bitterly, draining the last of his hot chocolate. "After you and Amane… 'died,' we moved back to Japan to be closer to his family, but he was traveling all the time, so I didn't even see him for five years after I turned twelve. When I found him again, he was in Egypt and he'd remarried and had kids all without telling me."

"What brought you to Egypt?" she asked, intensely curious.

"It's… a long story. I'll tell you another time." Ryou wasn't in the mood to explain about the Millennium Items just now.

"You'll have to tell her about me sooner or later." Ryou glanced up to see Bakura grinning like the Cheshire cat as he stood behind Ryou's mother. Ryou had to work hard not to respond or look at him directly. "What? Afraid to tell her? Afraid that she'll be ashamed of her son for having committed theft, murder, self-harm, desecrating a church…"

He did those things not you, Ryou reminded himself sternly. The more distance he kept between himself and Bakura, the better he could cope with accusations like that.

"I can't believe he abandoned you like that." She sounded shocked and bitter, a note of self-loathing in her tone. "If I'd known that something like that would have happened, I never would have—" She was broken off by a sob, and Ryou put his arm around her, giving her another hug.

"It's not your fault, Mom. There was no way for you to know what would happen when you left, and you didn't know that Dad would change this much after you were gone. I don't blame you for any of it." After all, there was no way for her to prevent what happened, no way for her to predict the consequences, no way for her to know that he would come to possess the Millennium Ring and then _be_ possessed by its spirit.

"All of this was destined to happen, of course. There was no way you would have grown up with your real family. You needed to be isolated. If this hadn't happened, I would have made sure that you were still alone." Bakura was still grinning sadistically, and it was all Ryou could do to keep himself from snapping at the cruel spirit.

"Oh, thank you, dear," she murmured, and lay a hand on his. That was when she first noticed the wedding band. "Oh, you're married?" she gasped, starting to smile. "I'm terrible for not noticing it sooner. What's her name?"

Ryou laughed nervously and pulled out his wallet to show her a picture of the three of them. "That's Seto and that's Duke," he said with a blush, hoping that was explanation enough.

"Oh, you three are adorable together!" she exclaimed joyously. "Seto looks familiar to me. Is he some kind of public figure?"

"You're familiar with KaibaCorp, yes?" he asked, starting to smile a bit himself.

"Oh, yes, that's what I know him from!" She gasped as realization hit her. "You're married to Seto Kaiba?!"

"Yes." Ryou was glad that she was so pleased. "He's wonderful, even if he does show an intimidating front to the public. Deep down, he's just a big teddy bear."

"And Duke, what's he like?" she asked, wanting to be a part of her son's life after being apart for so long.

"He's a rascal, but we love him for it. He has a good heart, even if he _is_ a total flirt. He invented the Dungeon Dice Monsters game, which is popular in Japan, and is currently spreading to America." He slid out a picture of Mokuba from behind the picture of the three of them. "And this is Seto's little brother, Mokuba. They were orphaned when they were young, and Seto's been raising him for most of his life. He's turning fourteen next month."

"He's so cute," she commented with a sad smile.

"He really is. He's kind of been a brother, son, and friend to all of us. He keeps us in line when we're all acting kinda nuts. He announced a couple months ago that he wanted a little sister so we're looking into adoption right now."

She held his hand in her own, looking at the wedding band closely. "What do these gems mean?"

"They're our birthstones: amethyst for Duke, tourmaline for Seto, and sapphire for me." The three gems were clustered closely together on the ring, just like them. Deep violet, icy aqua, and ocean blue. "Our rings are all identical, except for the size and the metal. Duke's is gold and Seto's is gunmetal." His own was a silvery rhodium; the rhodium had been Seto's choice, because it looked like silver, but was rarer and more valuable than titanium. Ryou wasn't vain enough to brag that it was made of rhodium, though. He'd rather let her believe it was silver.

"It's lovely. And if you're happy, then I'm happy." She looked down at his left hand again, finally noticing the spidery, star-shaped scars on the back of it and on his palm. "What happened to your hand?"

"That's… another… long story." Ryou felt uncomfortable for a moment as he realized he would be keeping a lot of secrets from his family until he felt that he could trust them enough to tell them the truth about all that had gone down with the Millennium Items and the evil spirits. "Is it okay for me to know that you're alive?" he asked, worried that they were breaking some kind of witness protection protocol.

"Yes, it is. They finally caught the criminal a few years ago. I've been trying to find you, but the internet hasn't been very helpful with that. I had no way to contact either you or your father after we 'died' and I didn't know where you'd gone or anything."

"Do you think… I could meet Amane?" Ryou was nervous about reconnecting with his little sister. He had no idea what she was like now or how she'd changed. She'd probably changed a lot in the past thirteen years.

"Of course! I'm sure she'll be happy to see you. She really could have benefited from having you around all these years." She sighed heavily. "I wish things could have been different…"

* * *

Ryou called Duke on the phone before they left the park across from the cafe.

"They're alive?! How?" Duke exclaimed, following the sound of a strange crash and a cry.

"Did you fall out of your desk chair?" Ryou asked, amused. "I told you that thing was broken."

" _How_ are they alive?" Duke persisted without answering Ryou's question.

"Let me guess, you _missed_ your chair when you went to sit down," Ryou persisted, in too good a mood to pass up the opportunity to tease Duke.

"Will you just _answer_ me already?" Duke demanded, sounding flustered.

"Apparently they were in the witness protection program because they'd witnessed a crime by some high-profile criminal, like some kind of organized crime boss, I imagine. She said that she only received clearance to try and find my father and I again a few years ago, but we were too difficult to track down."

"That's great that you've found them again! I'll tell Seto tonight. Will we get to talk to them on Skype tonight?"

"If they're comfortable with it, then yes. I would like that very much."

"I'm really happy for you. I look forward to meeting them."

"You did miss the chair, didn't you, Duke?" Ryou was already smirking even before he got the answer.

"Yeah, I missed the chair," Duke admitted with a sigh.

"You're such a spazz," Ryou laughed, feeling better than he had since they'd gotten married. "I love you."

"I love you too, angel."

That made Ryou blush.

"Give Seto and Mokuba my love as well."

"I will. See you soon."

* * *

It was a little awkward at first, talking to his sister, but as soon as they figured out that they were both hardcore gamers, it became much easier to talk to each other. It was easier to talk while playing MMORPGs on Xbox than in a silent room over a cup of tea. They ordered Thai take-out for dinner, and were pleasantly surprised when the siblings ordered the same dish.

After dinner, they Skyped with Seto and Duke, then went back to playing videogames. They actually managed to stay up all night long playing videogames, and early in the morning, Ryou walked to a nearby cafe and bought a fresh box of cream puffs for them to snack on. When their mother came downstairs around seven-thirty in the morning, she found that they'd both dozed off leaning against each other with a half-empty box of cream-puffs before them and their videogame paused.

She eventually woke them somewhat regretfully, telling her daughter to get to work and her son to get to classes, eliciting a promise from him that he'd return from classes as soon as he could.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** The "self-harm" Bakura mentions is a reference to the Monster World incident with his hand, the Millennium Ring's prongs punctures, and the stab-wound on his left arm during Battle City. Those were all things Bakura did to Ryou, but someone watching from the outside without knowing any context would see that as self-harm. The "desecrating a church" that he mentions is a reference to Episode 199 of the Yu-Gi-Oh anime.


	26. 999

Bakura didn't leave Ryou alone all day, even when he was in class. Ryou was barely managing to not lash out at him, but he did manage it. He'd run on less sleep than this before, but that didn't make him any less exhausted that day. He was happy to be going to see his mother and sister again that day, though. When he got back to the house, only Amane was there.

"Do you guys have any old pictures from… before we separated?" he asked as he sipped his tea.

"Yeah, I think so. Why do you ask?"

"Dad… burned them all after we thought you'd died." He pulled the long-chained locket out from under his shirt and showed it to her. "These are the only pictures I've had of you two for years."

"I'll go get them now." Amane put her teacup down and went upstairs.

"Aw, the little baby wants pictures of his mama?" Bakura smirked as he sat on the edge of the table.

"Shut. Up!" That was the last straw. "Just shut up, Bakura, I've heard enough out of you! Why can't you just leave me _alone_?!"

"What, you can't handle me yourself?" Bakura shouted back, which was unusual for him. "You need Yugi and your little boyfriends to stick up for you? Why don't you try getting rid of me yourself, huh?!"

He knew that Bakura was just goading him into doing something stupid, but he was too angry and sick of Bakura's constant bullying to think. He tried to force Bakura out of his mind and felt sharp, severe pain in his head. The pain was enough to bring him to his knees on the floor, making him cry out in pain. He'd slipped out of English now and reverted to the language he'd been speaking primarily for the past thirteen years.

* * *

When Amane returned to the room, she found Ryou kneeling on the ground, clutching at his head as he shouted intermittently in angry Japanese. It scared her.

"Ryou, are you okay?" She dropped the shoe-box on the table and knelt beside him to see that he was crying. "Ryou, get a grip!" she shouted, but he still didn't seem to hear her. She didn't know what else to do but dial 999 on her cell and ask for an ambulance. They asked her what was the emergency.

"Ryou, what's wrong? Tell me so I can help you!" she shouted over his own shouting. Out of breath, he managed to answer that there was severe pain in his head, which she relayed to the emergency dispatch. She took a few steps away and added in a low voice that she'd heard him shouting as if he were talking to somebody, but nobody was with him in the room.

"I think he's gone round the bend," she admitted nervously.

They sent an ambulance, and Amane waited beside Ryou, afraid, but stunned into a pseudo-calm state. She held it together even when they got to the hospital, even when she called her mother and she joined her daughter in the waiting room. She remained calm long after she should have broken down, even after the doctors came and told her what, specifically, was wrong with her long-lost brother. They spoke to her because her mother had dissolved into tears and become incomprehensible.

When Amane received Ryou's personal effects in the hospital waiting room, she went straight for his cell-phone and called Seto. She remembered feeling like she understood him when they were Skyping. Besides, Ryou had mentioned in their long talk last night that Seto performed the best under pressure.

"Hello?" Seto answered his cell-phone after three rings; he was at work past midnight for the first time in months. He missed Ryou and was overworking to compensate for it.

"Ryou has a cerebellar pilocytic astrocytoma. It's a... a brain tumor that's usually benign, but this time, it's… not." Her words came out a little frantic, a little rushed. The shock could only keep her calm for so long. "That's what the CT scans told them, but they're still doing a biopsy to be sure. Once they've confirmed it, they're going to operate as soon as they can, but they said it's going to be another few hours until an operating room is open. Statistically, he should be fine, but… I'm scared, Seto," she admitted, her eyes watering even as she fought to blink the tears away. "I'm scared. I don't want to lose him again."

"Take a deep breath, Amane. In and out. Good. I promise you: everything is going to be _fine_." Seto spoke slowly and calmly, but deep inside, he was scared too. "Duke and I will be out there within the next six hours. What did they say the symptoms were?"

"Um, they mentioned headaches, nausea, vomiting, irritability, weight loss, visual and auditory hallucinations, difficulty with coordination… Do any of those sound like they apply to Ryou in the past few months?"

"He's been having severe migraines since the fall. The past few months he's exhibited occasional irritability, which is unlike him. I also thought he was looking a little thin lately, but he said that all of it was due to stress."

"And he was hallucinating," Amane added, making Seto wince. "That's how I found him when I realized that something was wrong. He was babbling and yelling in Japanese and he was in pain, and I didn't know what else to do but call an ambulance…"

Seto moved his cell to his shoulder as he spoke to his head of security: "Roland, there's an emergency, Code Blue: I need KC 2 prepped for take-off immediately; I need Mokuba and Duke woken up. Tell them to get ready to leave. And I need the air-field in England alerted that we'll be coming in earlier than we planned." Then he turned his attention back to Amane as he entered the elevator. "What was he hallucinating _about_ , specifically?"

"He wouldn't say, not in English anyways. He kept referring to this 'him' that he wouldn't identify. He was yelling at him after I left the room and when I came back."

"Why did you call the ambulance? Could you not get him… under control?"

"I couldn't get him to talk straight. His head seemed to be hurting him, badly, and he was… distressed. I don't know what his hallucination was telling him, but it upset him a lot."

"How's your mother handling it?" He stepped into the limo, telling his driver to step on it.

"She won't stop crying, so now _I_ feel like a terrible person for not crying at all."

"You're not a terrible person," he assured her, pleased that he could empathize with Ryou's sister, despite the circumstances. "Your mother needs you to stay strong, she needs someone to count on. I was that person when Ryou was in the hospital last summer and Duke was upset—"

"He was in the hospital last year?" she interrupted, shocked. "What happened?"

"That's a long story," he sighed.

"Ryou said that more than once yesterday," Amane pointed out suspiciously. "I guess you guys will have a lot of long stories to tell us when you get here."

"Yes we will," he assured. "You'll hear all of the stories in due time. It's complicated."

"It must be; Ryou said the same thing."

"Is that an accusation?" Seto found himself quite impressed with Amane Bakura; she had balls, and he respected that.

"Maybe. Did you guys get mixed up in something illegal?" That was blunt. "I'm only asking because I'm worried about him," she added hastily. She hadn't meant to come across as rude.

"I was the victim of blackmail, he was the victim of foul play, Duke was abducted by the mafia, so yes, in a sense, we did get mixed up in something illegal."

"Oh, okay. I'm sorry, that sounded wrong—"

"No, that's okay, I get it. Life can be rough, and it kind of callouses you, and then you say things without realizing how harsh they sound." Seto spoke slowly and from personal experience.

"Yeah…" She was surprised by how much he seemed to understand. She made a mental note to do more research on him later. "What do you mean by foul play?"

"Cyanide poisoning," Seto answered. There was no reason not to keep talking to her while he and Roland were in the car en route to the mansion. Roland was still making calls as he followed through with Seto's orders. "It was purposeful, involved with the blackmail."

"Oh." Amane couldn't think of anything else to say for a few moments. "Did the mafia break Duke's fingers?" She'd noticed the finger splints when they Skyped last night, but hadn't felt inclined to ask.

"Yes, they did. I'd tell you why, but... that's Duke's business."

"Of course." A pause. "Ryou told us that you're a teddy bear. Is that true~?" Her tone turned teasing as she engaged in humor as a means of coping with her distress.

"Pft, a teddy bear is the last thing I'd call myself," Seto answered, flustered, causing Roland to raise an eyebrow.

"So it's true, then?" she retorted insolently, then laughed. He chuckled as well.

"He told _me_ you were smarter than you looked," he replied glibly. "I guess he was right about that too."

"Are you assessing my intelligence now?" asked sarcastically.

"He told me you wanted to work in the gaming industry when you graduated. KaibaCorp will be opening a new office in the UK about a year and a half from now as part of our long-term plan. If you are as smart as Ryou says you are, I could offer you an internship when the time comes. Only, of course," he teased, "If you're _actually_ as smart as Ryou says you are."

"Seriously?" She hadn't expected such an offer. "That'd be… incredible. Thank you so much. I guess it pays to have a brother-in-law in high places. Remind me to hug you when you get here."

"That won't be necessary."

"Really? Ryou told me you liked hugs."

"When did he get the chance to tell you _that_?"

"We stayed up all night playing video games and talking."

"I see. Is there anything you two _didn't_ talk about?"

"Sex." She smirked as she answered.

"Well then…" Seto didn't really know what to say to that.

Amane burst out laughing at Seto's disgruntled response. She liked shocking people. It always told her something about their personalities, and it told her that Seto was a private person, maybe even shy.

"Look, as fun as this conversation is getting," Seto answered somewhat sarcastically, "I have to get going now. Call me as soon as you hear anything new or if something goes wrong. I'll be the one flying us to England, so I'll have an open line for the next six hours."

"Alright, will do," she answered. "Thank you for talking with me. It helps."

"Anytime." Seto hung up as he climbed out of the limo, going to get his own suitcase and collect his family. "Roland, I need a cup of coffee and some caffeine pills."


	27. Surgery

"Have I just been crazy this whole time?" Ryou sounded incredibly distressed as he talked to Seto on the phone. Seto would have put it on speaker phone so that Mokuba and Duke were included in the conversation, but Duke and Mokuba had fallen asleep in the back seat while Seto was flying.

"Listen to me: Having a brain tumor is _not_ the same thing as being crazy. You are _not_ crazy, and you never have been."

"Was it a brain tumor all this time?" Ryou sounded so upset that Seto was afraid he'd have a breakdown. "All those years ago, was it always just a brain tumor?"

"No, Ryou, you were actually possessed by an evil spirit. None of this is your fault. None of it was ever your fault." Seto spoke slowly and reassuringly, just as he'd done with Amane. "You're going to get that surgery _now_ , have the tumor removed, we'll be there when you wake up, and everything will be fine. Bakura will be gone for good."

"He won't stop talking," Ryou whimpered, and Seto heard the tears in his voice. "He won't stop… H-He won't… stop…" Ryou was starting to hyperventilate. Seto had no idea what Bakura was saying, but he knew that it couldn't possibly be a good thing that Bakura was speaking to him.

"Ryou, calm down, or they'll have no choice but to sedate you," Seto warned, but he didn't seem to be getting through to him as he heard Ryou start babbling as he panicked completely. "Ryou, get a grip, or so help me, I will jump through this phone and slap you silly!"

"I'm okay," Ryou gasped as he gulped in air, trying to keep himself under control. "But I'm not going under until you get here."

"Nonsense. It'll be at least another couple hours until we get there, and you could be done with the surgery in that time. You could have been done with it already if you hadn't kept pushing it off. We're not going to argue about this any more."

"But we are, aren't we?" Ryou pointed out, making Seto sigh.

"Put me on with Amane. She'll tell the doctors to start prepping you for surgery, since you won't. At least _she's_ rational."

"I'm _scared_ , Seto! It's understandable in my position."

"Yeah, I'm scared too, but I'm more scared of what'll happen to you if you _don't_ get the operation than I am of what could go wrong _during_ the operation. Statistically, you should be fine."

"Yeah, _statistically_ ," Ryou answered bitterly. "But I'm not _like_ you. I don't _have_ faith in math and science."

"Which is ridiculous, because math and science are the only things we can have faith in when it comes to the physical world—"

"Seto, this is _not_ the time!" Ryou snapped, and Seto promptly shut up. "I don't want to go through with this until you and Duke are here."

"The longer we wait, the more danger you're in. It must have gotten pretty bad for you to be where you are now," Seto pointed out.

"That's the caffeine talking," Ryou accused sourly. "You know it always made you impatient." He then trailed off with a slew of quiet, incomprehensible words.

"Ryou, you're mumbling again."

"He won't be quiet," Ryou whined, suddenly sounding all anguished and pathetic again. "He won't… He won't stop…"

"Let me talk to Amane again," he said seriously. He felt a little guilty for doing this, but it was better for him in the long run, and that's what mattered most.

"Hello?" It was Amane again.

"Tell the doctors to start prepping him for surgery. We'll be there before he wakes up."

* * *

Seto managed to fly them in to England in a little less than five hours, Duke protesting every step of the way that Seto was going to crash them and create an international incident. He'd never seen Seto fly the jet quite so fast before, not even when Mokuba had been kidnapped. Then again, they hadn't been flying on a full tank at the time; this time, they were flying on a full tank of fuel _with_ extra fuel just in case.

"That shouldn't have been physically possible," Duke grumbled as he leapt out of the jet, helping Mokuba get out behind him. "Getting from Japan to England that fast is not feasibly possible." It was almost ten o'clock at night here, but back home, it was nearly six in the morning, and they both still felt exhausted after sleeping fitfully during the flight.

"Screw physics, I have money!" Seto declared rather fearlessly as he unloaded their bags from the dragon-shaped jet plane, then passed them off to the driver he'd hired to meet them at the airfield. "Now, we are going to drive straight to the hospital where Ryou is having surgery. We'll check in to the hotel later."

* * *

Seto was sitting with his arms crossed and his eyes closed in one of the hospital waiting room chairs. He said he'd sleep for half an hour; it had been thirty-two minutes, and he was still asleep. She'd promised not to do anything to him in the next half hour, but that half hour was up, which meant that her promise had expired. Amane, who was feeling artistic at the moment, took out a sharpie with the intent of giving Seto a temporary face tattoo. She was holding it a mere inch from his face when he finally spoke.

"Whatever you plan on doing with that Sharpie, I can promise you that it's not a good idea."

"Bloody hell!" His unexpected voice had come as a surprise, making her jerk back in her seat. "You scared the crap out of me!" Seto just laughed.

"If you'll excuse me, now, I have work to do," Seto said as he pulled his briefcase out from under his seat.

"Don't you need more sleep?" she asked dubiously. "You were flying all night, weren't you?" She'd checked the time difference after she hung up from her first call with Seto and realized that she called him around midnight, his time.

"I've worked on less sleep than this."

She looked to Duke for confirmation, who just nodded tiredly.

"I'm sure he could break the world record for consecutive hours spent awake if he tried to, and still find a way to be productive," Duke answered. Seto threw a half-hearted glare his way, Mokuba finally awaking where he was propped up in the seat next to Duke.

Seto worked on his laptop in the waiting room while Amane and Mokuba were trying to duel. They were both too distracted with worry to duel properly, so they eventually gave up on that and just talked, about their brothers, school, family, home. Meanwhile, Ryou's mother was interrogating Duke, who was doing a rather excellent job of charming her enough to keep her from crying.

Seto reached the point where he'd caught up on all of his work emails and put away his laptop in his bullet-proof briefcase. Time to make some phone calls. Amane made a little game with Duke of counting how many different languages Seto spoke throughout his phone calls. She identified Spanish, Italian, Mandarin, Arabic, and German.

"You forgot the Portuguese," Duke said with a wink.

"I can never tell the difference between it and Spanish," she said as she threw her hands up in defeat. Seto was currently speaking German on the phone, and he sounded very angry, even more so than the language usually made him sound. "I take it he's not talking to a friend?"

"No, he has strong negative feelings towards Zigfried von Shroeder," Duke said with a sigh. "The fact that they're speaking German just means that he actually _sounds_ as angry as he _is_."

"I'm looking for the family of Ryou Bakura?" a nurse announced as she entered the waiting room, Duke and Amane standing up immediately. Mokuba and their mother were both napping at the moment, and Seto was still on the phone.

"Yes, we're his family," Amane answered quickly, feeling scared.

"The operation was a success. He had no ill reactions and the tumor was completely removed with no difficulties," the nurse said, and they both breathed out a sigh of relief, Amane turning to Duke to hug him tightly as she allowed herself to feel again. Duke rubbed her back comfortingly.

"Is he awake?" Duke asked hopefully.

"No, but you can wait for him to wake up in his room. Follow me."

* * *

 **Author Notes:** I decided to show some more tension and angst in this chapter, like the bickering between Seto and Ryou. It's not a genuine argument, just a shallow disagreement in a high stress situation, but I wanted to show some imperfection all the same. Please review, because _**more reviews = more chapters!**_ I love to hear from my readers! I **_need_** to hear from my readers!


	28. Awakening

Duke thanked his lucky stars that Ryou wasn't allergic to whatever anesthetic they'd used on him, otherwise, he could have been knocked into a coma and remained unconscious for who knew how long—if he ever woke up.

Success. It had all been a success, the nurse had said. The tumor wouldn't grow back, Ryou would make a full recovery, and he was guaranteed to wake up.

Everybody else had fallen asleep, even Seto, which was for the best. It had been a long night for all of them, and Duke had gotten enough sleep on the plane that he felt sufficiently awake to keep watch over Ryou while he slept.

Duke was one of those people who believed that an unconscious or comatose person would subconsciously hear everything said around them, so he was reading one of Ryou's favorite books to him: Ovid's "Metamorphoses." Apparently, old books and RPGs had been Ryou's way of handling grief and had started reading complex works at an early age in all those hours, days, weeks he'd spent alone.

"'Fool, why try to catch a fleeting image, in vain?'" Duke read aloud, holding Ryou's hand as he held the book with his other hand. "'What you search for is nowhere: turning away, what you love is lost! What you perceive is the shadow of reflected form: nothing of you is in it. It comes and stays with you, and leaves with you, if you can leave!'(1) Ugh, this is so confusing." A soft chuckle made him start and look up in surprise. "How long have you been awake?!" He set down the book and embraced Ryou, who wasn't even able to sit up on his own.

"Not long," his bed-ridden beloved answered with a smile.

"How are you feeling? A-are you alright? Do you need anything?" Duke didn't know what a person who'd just woken up from surgery needed.

"I'm fine, just a little thirsty," he answered, and Duke reached for his own bottle of water, barely touched, handing it to Ryou after unscrewing the lid.

"Do you need help sitting up?" Duke asked gently.

"Yeah, I think I do," Ryou said with a sigh, and Duke propped him up, sitting on the edge of the bed as he let Ryou lean against him as he took a drink. He handed the plastic bottle back to Duke, who screwed the lid back on and held onto it, in case he got thirsty again. He gently kissed Ryou's bandaged forehead, making him giggle again.

"You're still high off the anesthetics, aren't you?"

"Maybe…" Ryou giggled again, making Duke chuckle. "Did Seto really fly all night to get you guys here?"

"Well, Seto and Mokuba and I are all here, and the Blue-Eyes jet is parked in an airfield just outside of London, so yes, yes he did."

Ryou was sent into another fit of giggles. "Blue-Eyes jet… that thing is so silly," he murmured, Duke laughing along with him as he snuck a peak to make sure Seto was still asleep and hadn't heard that.

"Yeah, it kind of is," he agreed with a warm smile. "You should be getting rest so that you can recover," he said gently, putting an arm around Ryou's shoulders to keep him from tipping over. He lay Ryou down back on the bed, considering taking a video of him, but deciding against it. Ryou would hate him if he did, then probably do something sneaky and vindictive and equally blackmail-worthy.

"Hey, Seto, he's awake," Duke called softly, nudging Seto's foot with his own, but receiving no response. What was that trick that Mokuba had used in the hospital last time? Duke moved off the edge of the bed to return to his seat, where he was close enough to lean over and whisper into Seto's ear, "Gozaburo's coming." He hated the words even as he spoke them. Seto jerked awake a moment later, just as he'd done in the hospital last time, and for a nanosecond he looked panicked, then his expression settled into one that was… upset.

"Don't _do_ that," he muttered, looking wounded, and Duke immediately felt guilty. "How did you even—?"

"Mokuba told me. I'm sorry, babe." Duke kissed Seto briefly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "But Ryou's awake, and I thought you'd want to see that he was alright." Seto squeezed Duke's hand as soon as he heard the news and sat up, Duke sitting back in his chair more comfortably as Seto shifted to sit on the edge of Ryou's bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, taking Ryou's hand in his own and kissing his knuckles, relieved that he was alright. Seto was the kind of person to plan for all of the "what ifs" to a situation; it had become a necessity in his line of work. Every time a situation arose, from a rival company's stock crashing to his little brother being kidnapped, he had to plan for all possible outcomes. Every time Mokuba was kidnapped, he always needed to consider, "What if he doesn't make it out alive?" It was torture each time, but it had to be done.

"I'm feeling great," Ryou answered, smiling way too brightly for someone who'd just had a brain tumor. "I really do. You have no idea how nice it is to not have Bakura talking in my ear all the time. He was so annoying…" Ryou hopped up on drugs proved to be quite effusive. Seto and Duke exchanged an amused glance.

"What kinds of things did he say to you?" Seto asked, figuring that if he ever asked at a different time, it'd be too upsetting a thing for Ryou to answer.

"He'd ask me if he could smoke, and I'd have to explain to him that spirits can't smoke. Silly, right?" Ryou answered, Seto restraining a laugh. "You'd think he'd know that by now after being a spirit for so long. I guess hallucinations can't smoke either. You know, he never did tell me what he wanted me to do… Maybe he didn't have anything in mind. Maybe he's just as lonely as I used to be, and he was too proud to admit that he just wanted some company…"

"Or maybe it was all just your brain playing tricks on you," Duke pointed out gently. "He told you that he had something he needed to do because that's what happened last time, right?"

Ryou yawned without answering, which brought the current time to Seto's attention.

"It's getting late, and this is my second time tonight staying up until one in the morning," Seto said, rubbing his eyes. This protracted night had been far too long, even for him. "We should go to the hotel and get some sleep. "We can call the university in the morning and tell them that you won't be coming back due to health complications. _You_ are going to get some sleep and we'll see about getting you home." He leaned forward and kissed Ryou's forehead, making the younger man giggle again.

By the time they'd cleared out of the hospital and checked into the hotel, Seto was ready to pass out from exhaustion. Duke was still more awake than him, and it felt good to relinquish responsibility to someone else for a little while. As Seto fell asleep in one bed, Duke undressed Mokuba and tucked him into the other bed before stripping to his boxers and joining Seto.

He couldn't remember the last time it felt so good to sleep.

* * *

Seto had his other plane flown out to England and his Blue-Eyes jet flown back to Japan, since it wouldn't be able to accommodate all of them. When Ryou was finally released from the hospital, all six of them flew back to Domino. Ryou's mother and sister came along too, having asked if they could stay for a week while Ryou recovered, and Seto had of course granted the request. They were family too, after all, as weird as that felt to him.

At some point during all of this, Duke had asked Ryou if he planned on telling his father what happened. Duke thought he should, but Ryou didn't want to.

"If you go bail your dad out of jail and have a real conversation with him, then I'll call my dad and tell him what happened," Ryou said as he crossed his arms. Removing the brain tumor hadn't removed any of his stubbornness, even though other parts of his personality had changed and he was still trying to settle back into his normal self.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** So, what was your favorite moment in this chapter? I know what mine is~! Please tell me in a review, because _**more reviews = more chapters!**_

(1) Ovid's "Metamorphoses," Book 3, the story of Narcissus.


	29. Recovery

Duke didn't bail his father out of prison, but he did go and speak with him, even though he didn't think that his refusal to talk to his father was comparable with Ryou's refusal to talk to his. Duke's father had seriously screwed up Duke's life: Duke had come to harm in the past because of his father's gambling debts, his mother had been driven to alcoholism, and his family had been torn to pieces because of the wretched man. While what Ryou's father had done was still wrong, it wasn't nearly as despicable as that. Duke couldn't blame Ryou for being mad that his dad had abandoned him, moved to Egypt, remarried, and started a new family with no intention of telling him. But Mr. Bakura was at least trying to reach out to his son so that he could restore their broken relationship. Mr. Devlin had never done any such thing. That was why Duke thought Ryou should talk to his own father and let Duke continue to shun his. His conversation with his father at prison had ended badly. Things had gotten a little… heated, and the guards had ended up dragging Duke out of the room as he continued screaming at his father in anger.

The events of the following day, though, helped Duke to relax a bit and put the incident out of his mind. He'd just gotten out of the shower to be met with a surprise.

"Ryou? What are you doing?" The white-haired Brit was sitting cross-legged on the floor, leaning back against the wall. There was a surreal smile on his face and his eyes were closed.

"I like hearing you sing when you're in the shower," was his sleepy answer. Duke chuckled at that.

"You could have joined me, you know," he said warmly as he started to dry his long, dark hair with a towel.

"Mm-hm."

Duke looked over at Ryou, whose eyes were still closed. His face was relaxed, his expression pleasant. Duke wrapped his towel around his waist, his damp hair straggling down his back and around his shoulders. He knelt in front of Ryou and lifted a hand to his pink cheek, making those wide, innocent eyes open.

"I love your eyes, Ryou," he whispered, rubbing his nose against the younger's. "They look like puddles of dark chocolate."

"Thank you," Ryou murmured with a smile. "I'd forgotten that Adam Lambert was your favorite singer."

Duke kissed him tenderly, savoring the moment as he remembered the first moment he'd heard that Ryou had a brain tumor and feared that he might never have this again.

"And that Cherry Pie was your favorite song," Ryou added with a sly smile when they broke apart. Duke's soft fingertips dusted over Ryou's cheeks before they moved down and gently uncrossed Ryou's legs, extending them to either side of him.

"Is that so?" Duke murmured. "I can't believe you'd forget something like that," he said, feigning offense. "Not after I drove you out to the lake two summers ago in my '58 convertible. You do remember that, don't you?"

Ryou let out a warm laugh as Duke's fingers gently kneaded Ryou's thighs. "I most certainly remember _now_. You insisted on driving us back by morning, and I fell asleep in the backseat, which wasn't very comfortable. I woke up with a sore neck."

"Well, most cars aren't very comfortable for _actual_ sleeping," Duke pointed out with a chuckle, putting Ryou's arms around his neck as he lifted him in his arms. Ryou's legs wrapped around Duke's waist as he let the other carry him.

"You and Seto are so silly about your cars," he commented with a smile. "I'll never understand it."

"Just like I'll never quite understand your obsession with RPGs, but I can still accept it." Duke lay Ryou down on their bed, looking down at him with glowing green eyes. Ryou's hand came up to touch Duke's cheek.

"I like you without your eyeliner," he said suddenly. "I mean, I like you with it, but I like you without it too. I don't remember if I ever told you that before." The words struck straight to Duke's heart, and it was in that moment that Duke knew that their precious Ryou was just the same as he was before the surgery, the same Ryou he'd been five years ago. They'd all been just a little afraid that he would never recover his former self. But he _was_ the same, just with less pain.

"You're wonderful. You know that?" Duke slipped his hands under Ryou's ass, holding him securely as he leaned down to kiss him. Ryou tugged at Duke's towel until it slipped away and fell to the floor. Duke chuckled hotly as he nuzzled in against Ryou's neck. Now Duke was naked while Ryou was fully clothed, and the former found this to be an exciting prospect. A knock at the door interrupted them.

"Come in!" Duke called without thinking, expecting it to be Seto.

"Wait!" Ryou cried, flustered. He heard the door open as he pulled the covers up to hide his face—as if that made any difference—and heard his sister cry out in surprise.

"Wow. That was more than I needed to see. I'm… gonna go wash my eyes with bleach," Amane said dryly as she rapidly retreated from the room, closing the door again.

"What? Am I really that bad looking?" Duke called after her in mock indignation. He made to move away from Ryou and follow her, but Ryou held him in place with his legs.

"Don't tease her, Duke," Ryou said with a smirk, his face still flushed. "She's just jealous that I have two incredibly attractive men and she has none. Besides, I don't need you streaking in front of the servants, or they'll get jealous too."

"Aw, thank you, Angel," Duke crooned appreciatively. He leaned over Ryou again, twirling a lock of white hair around his finger. "You think I'm attractive?"

"I did marry you, didn't I?"

* * *

"What happened to _you_?" Seto asked as he looked up from his videogame at a rather stunned Amane as she entered the game room where he'd chosen to spend his afternoon.

"I… saw something that I really didn't need to see," she answered slowly, trying to be delicate for once, which Seto found amusing.

"You walked in on them having sex, didn't you?" Seto asked with a smirk.

"Not quite, but they were getting there," Amane grumbled, making Seto laugh. She sighed heavily and threw herself onto the couch beside Seto, complaining, "What does a girl have to do to get a guy like you?"

"I beg your pardon?" Seto asked, pausing the game and turning his head to look down at her. "Well, I guess you could hold out a few years for Mokuba to grow up a little."

"Or Duke," she added to her previous statement, ignoring his comment about Mokuba. "It seems like all the best guys are taken, gay, or both."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Seto smirked and resumed the videogame. Amane rolled her eyes at him, then turned her eyes to the TV screen.

"You're playing Lego Star Wars?" She sounded incredulous. "That's kind of an old game, isn't it?"

"I never got a chance to play it when it came out," Seto explained. _Thanks, Gozaburo._

"I can't believe you own a Game Cube," she observed, half-smiling. "Those are out of production."

"Retro gaming for the win!" he exclaimed, actually starting to sound like the nerdy twenty-two-year-old he was. "Wanna join me? You can be Padme."

"Pft, no way," Amane retorted as he paused the game and she picked up the other wireless controller. "I prefer Han Solo."

"What's wrong with Padme?" Seto asked as he resumed the game.

"She's such a sap," Amane said scornfully. "I mean, she falls in love with a villain _as he's_ _turning evil!_ Who could be so blind?"

"Padme," Seto answered with a smirk, causing Amane to whack him on the shoulder. "Han Solo's your favorite Star Wars character then, huh?"

"Yeah. He makes more sense to me than the other characters, plus he's epic. How about you?"

"I actually like Anakin."

"Seriously?!" she exclaimed.

"Yes. I mean, I don't like him when he becomes Darth Vader, but before that, I didn't think he was that bad. I wish he hadn't gone to the dark side."

"He had too much power; combined with his desire for revenge, there was no way he _wouldn't_ go to the dark side. Anybody with that much power and that much anger is going to be corrupted sooner or later."

"I understand what you mean," he conceded. "That would've been me if I didn't have Ryou and Duke to keep me grounded."

"How did you three get together?" she asked. "I'm curious about how you managed to pull it off."

"That's a long story," Seto answered, much to Amane's irritation.

"Okay, that's the last time I'm going to accept that as an answer from _any_ of you!" she exclaimed, shooting the Lego storm troopers with more aggression than necessary. "Between you, Duke, and Ryou, I must have heard it a dozen times by now. I still have another week here; I have the time for long stories, and I want to hear them. No more excuses."

"Fair enough," Seto conceded. He could tell from her tone that she was serious about putting her foot down on this behavior.

"Okay, so, since you don't want to tell me the story of how you three became a thing, tell me a different story."

"Which one would you like to hear?" he asked, willing to comply.

"What was up with those pictures that came out a few months ago? The ones with you as a kid with your step-father."

Seto froze, his hold on the controller going slack.

"I never understood why those were released to the public, or how, or by whom. They're real, I know that, but nothing about them makes much sense." A dull thud caught her attention, and she looked up to see that the controller had slipped out of Seto's hands and fallen to the carpet. She paused the game and sighed, putting her own controller down as she sat uncomfortably for a moment. Seto blinked, coming back to himself as Amane put an arm around his shoulders.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked that," she apologized regretfully. "I should have realized that it would upset you."

"No, it's fine," Seto said, trying to assure her so that she didn't feel bad. "It's a fair question, especially because I never released any statements to the media concerning them."

"Yeah, I heard about the paparazzi that tried to break into your house and got bitten by the guard dogs," she said with a smile, making Seto relax a little.

"Until you get the chance to do so, you'll never really understand how satisfying it is to say, 'Release the hounds,' and have your orders followed so that the dogs chase some creep off your property." Seto smiled a little at the thought. "That wasn't the first time I've had to do that, and it won't be the last."

"So… what is the story behind those pictures, if you don't mind my asking?" she queried hesitantly.

"There are two stories," Seto answered slowly. "There's the story of how and why and by whom they were released, and there's the story of what was happening in the photos. Which one did you hope to hear?"

"Both of them."

Seto sighed softly.

"Would it make you feel better if I went and sat over there while you lay on the couch like we're in a therapist's office?" she asked, half-joking.

That's what they ended up doing, though. Seto talked while Amane sketched and doodled on a pad of paper. At first he tried to censor his experiences, leaving out the long-term self-harm, the intense anguish, the reassuring intimacy, but she quickly caught on to what he was doing and teased more details out of him. The only thing he managed to stay tight-lipped about was sex.

"You really are shy, aren't you?" she asked, leaning over the arm of the couch to look down at him with an amused smile. "Duke is shameless and Ryou is discrete, but you're just straight-up shy."

"I don't see how that's pertinent to the conversation," Seto replied, starting to blush.

"It helps me understand you. That's how it's pertinent," she answered, her eyes taking on a new expression. Or maybe it wasn't a new expression, and Seto just couldn't recognize it as he looked at her upside down.

"I've watched your Battle City duels," she said suddenly. "I watched your duel with Zigfried during the KC World Championship. I know you're the same person I saw there, but it's so hard to believe that the proud, rich, powerful Seto Kaiba I saw in those duels is the same shy, vulnerable man I see here in front of me."

For a long moment, she studied him, as if trying to make up her mind about something. Seto studied her too, trying to discern where she was going with this and why. What wasn't she saying?

Suddenly she giggled. "And to think that my friends all said you were more computer than human. Now I can tell them that I have proof you're not a cyborg." She winked as well, making Seto's blush deepen. "Don't worry, your secrets are safe with me." She kissed his forehead chastely and closed her eyes; Seto sighed softly and closed his too, and they savored the sweet moment of soul connection. She moved back and stroked his hair thoughtfully, watching with a bit too much enjoyment as his bright blue eyes opened and looked up at her. She finally leaned back and picked up her pad again.

"Okay, so, what happened after my brother distracted you with lots of sex?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

"I didn't say that's what happened," Seto blushed, sitting up and leaning on his forearms as he turned around a bit to look at her. "Wait, you've _actually_ been taking notes this whole time?" he asked in shock. He hadn't known that she'd taken that comment seriously. "What do they say?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she teased as she flipped the previous sheets over to the front of the pad so that he couldn't see what she'd just been working on.

"Show me that," Seto said, reaching for it, but she held it out of his reach. He blinked in surprise as his orders were blatantly disobeyed, something he was very unaccustomed to.

"On what grounds?" she demanded.

"It's about me. This is my house. I'm older than you. Need I continue?" Seto raised an eyebrow at her.

"Sure, you can read it. If you can catch me!" Amane leapt out of her chair, but Seto was faster than she'd expected. They began to wrestle for the pad, and it was during that time that Ryou and Duke interrupted them.

"Seto Kaiba, I am very disappointed in you!" Ryou rebuked as Duke gave him a piggyback ride into the mansion's game room. "Put my sister down right now!"

"She started it!" Seto said at the same moment Amane said, "He started it!"

"I don't care who started it or why, just put her down," Ryou admonished, starting to blush. "Honestly, Seto, you know better."

"She was asking for it!" Seto complied, though, and put Amane down on the couch. She'd been hanging over his shoulder in the exact manner that Ryou found annoying when they did it to him. "At least she doesn't bite like you do," he added, giving Ryou a look that made him turn scarlet.

"It was _once_ —" Ryou protested as Seto approached them, only to be cut off.

"Twice," Duke corrected, holding up a pair of fingers and wiggling them a little as he grinned. "You bit us twice." That sent Amane into a fit of giggles.

"I'm going to check on Mokuba," Seto said, giving Ryou's cheek a kiss, then doing the same for Duke. "I'll be right back." He left, and Ryou let out a happy sigh, snuggling against Duke and closing his eyes for a moment.

"So what were you guys fighting over?" Duke asked as he entered the room and approached the couch. Amane had sat up by now, so he had the necessary space to set Ryou down on the couch and then sit down next to him with an arm around his shoulders.

"This," Amane answered, picking up the yellow legal pad from the floor. "He was telling me his life story, because I asked, and I was pretending to take notes like I was his therapist," she explained.

"If you weren't taking notes, then what were you doing?" Ryou asked curiously, leaning against Duke's shoulder.

"Drawing."

"Can we see?" Duke asked, putting on the charm. "Pretty please?"

"Sure." It was hard to say no to such a pretty face. She could easily see how Ryou and Seto had fallen for Duke. "But if you were hoping to see him naked, you'll be disappointed. He refused to pose for me." Her words were entirely facetious, but they still made Ryou turn red all over again.

"That's alright; he won't pose for me either," Duke whispered conspiratorially, winking at her.

"You didn't seriously _ask_ him, did you?" Ryou asked, flustered. He thought she was serious.

"Heck no!" Amane laughed. "No, Ryou, I'm not _that_ naughty!"

She held the pad of paper between them as she showed them what she'd drawn: Seto as a child looking defiant and stubborn; Seto as a young teen standing on a chessboard amongst other chess pieces; her view of Seto as he lay on the couch in front of her. The most interesting one featured Seto and Gozaburo standing foot to foot like a reflection or inversion. Both of them stood tall and proud, arms crossed, each wearing their favorite business suit. On Gozaburo's side was the KaibaCorp Headquarters, a tank, a fighter plane, billowing cigar smoke, an AK47 sniper rifle, and a young Seto with his bruised face turned towards the floor, his right wrist in a cast. That young Seto stood as a reflection of Mokuba at the older Seto's side. Mokuba, unlike the young Seto, looked confident and happy. On Seto's side, instead of the KC HQ, there was the Duel Tower; instead of the tank, there was his blimp; instead of the fighter plane, there was a Blue-Eyes White Dragon; instead of the sniper rifle, there was a Duel Disk. Nothing replaced the cigar smoke but fresh air. Duke and Ryou stared at it in silence long enough that Amane started to feel nervous.

"You got it just right," Duke said at last, Ryou nodding his agreement. Ryou touched the younger Seto's cast, his eyes a little sad.

"It took us years to get him to tell us about that," he said quietly, then looked up at his sister with a small smile. "Either he really trusts you, or Duke and I have done a good job fixing him."

"Fixing?" Amane repeated.

"Yeah, that's a good word for it," Duke said as Ryou looked to him for help in explaining himself. "Gozaburo's abuse was as psychological as it was physical, maybe more so—if that's even possible. He couldn't start healing the damage done to his mind until Gozaburo died, and it's taken him this long to undo the lasting effects."

"He wasn't the only one trying to undo it, though," Ryou said softly. "Mokuba was trying to help him recover from that long before _we_ were."

Amane thought over this for a few moments, then let out a shriek as a voice from directly behind her scared her out of her skin.

"If I'd known you all were going to talk about me while I was gone, I would have stuck around."

They were all startled by Seto's sudden near presence.

"How did you get so close without us hearing you?" Duke asked, chuckling a bit.

"I used my ninja skills, duh," he answered with a roll of his eyes before disappearing behind the couch once more. "I used them to sneak into Pegasus's castle in Duelist Kingdom, so using them to sneak around my own house is a piece of cake." By the time he finished the sentence, he was seated on Ryou's other side, his playfulness already starting to fade fast. "Ryou, are you alright?" Ryou didn't answer, his head resting against Duke's shoulder with his eyes closed. Seto looked up worriedly. "I can't tell if he's falling asleep or passed out."

"Oh, man, I don't think he's eaten in a while," Duke answered, smoothing back the white hair from Ryou's forehead so they could see his face better.

"I'll take him to the kitchen, just in case," Seto said, gently lifting Ryou into his arms; it was a sight that Amane found to be quite touching. Seto strode towards the doorway, but paused before he left.

"Has he felt… lighter to you lately?" he asked Duke carefully.

"Yeah, a bit," Duke admitted with a sigh. "We should probably talk to him about that later."

Seto nodded and left, saying, "We'll finish talking later Amane."

Amane sighed, wanting to make another sex joke, but deciding this wasn't an appropriate time. She slumped against the couch cushions, then picked up her pad again and looked at Duke. "So, what's your story?"

* * *

 **Author Notes:** So, just a fair warning, this story will be drawing to a close soon, but I'm already hard at work on the _prequel_ , which is tentatively titled, "Power of Three."

Please keep an eye out for that and follow it if you like this story at all, because it will give you all the background for this sexy, sweet, angsty trio of gorgeous men. (Is it obvious yet that I love all of them myself? :P) I'll post the prequel's first chapter before this is over, I promise.


	30. Loss

Seto took Ryou down to the kitchen as promised and let him eat whatever he wanted, which turned out to be a pint of French vanilla ice cream. With whipped cream. Seto was content to stay and fawn over him until he was done, at which point he carried Ryou back to their room, putting him to bed so that he could rest.

"But I'm not tired," Ryou protested, resting his cheek against Seto's chest as his eyelids started to droop.

"But you're still recovering, and the more rest you get, the better and faster you'll heal," Seto replied firmly, but with a smile. He gently lay Ryou on the bed and helped make him more comfortable for sleep by tugging his pants off and removing his shirt. He lay by Ryou for as long as it took him to fall asleep.

Duke entered the room quietly just then, causing Seto to look up.

"How is he?" Duke asked softly as he closed the door behind him.

"I just got him to sleep," Seto whispered, carefully standing and moving across the room to take Duke's hand and lead him back out. "Let's talk somewhere else." They walked hand in hand to the garden, a quiet place where they were sure they wouldn't be interrupted.

"Do you remember how he had really bad anxiety when he and I started dating?" Duke asked as they passed Ryou's favorite statue, the marble one of the small angel.

"I remember the two of you telling me about it," Seto answered. "He was pretty much fine by the time I joined you, though."

"It took him a while to get help for his anxiety, and I had to keep pestering him to do it. Normally, I wouldn't have been so insistent except that he was so anxious that he was throwing up all the time and had started losing weight. He just couldn't hold down very much food at all."

Seto looked up at Duke sharply. This was news to him. Then again, when Ryou's anxiety was almost to the point of being gone, around the time their couple had morphed into a trio, the last thing he'd wanted to do was relay all the awful details of it to Seto. Seto hadn't asked for them because he didn't think it would be conducive to getting over the anxiety.

"He was never anorexic," Duke said firmly, hoping to dispel that suspicion before it even took root. "And I don't think he is now. It wouldn't make sense. He might be having anxiety issues again, though, and I think we need to confront him about it because he might not tell us on his own, just like he didn't tell us when he started seeing Bakura again."

"Do you think it's a side effect of his recovery process?" Seto asked thoughtfully. Now that the tumor had been removed, it was like Ryou's brain was trying to figure out the right way to refill the space formerly occupied by the tumor, which was why he was going through some strange phases still like how during the first few days after it was removed, he'd insisted that he didn't like creampuffs. That was trippy. A few more weeks, and he should be mostly back to his old self, but until then, they'd all have to be patient and let things go their course.

"Maybe, maybe not," Duke said, answering as best he could given that he spoke out of ignorance. "But I'm not willing to wait until he gets underweight in order for us to talk to him about it."

"Neither am I," Seto agreed, pulling Duke close and kissing his cheek. "You know, this is the first vacation from work I've taken in a long time," he mused, gazing up at the azure afternoon sky. "It's too bad Ryou's family lives so far away; I've enjoyed having them visit, in spite of the circumstances."

"You and Amane seem to have done a lot of bonding alright," Duke said with a wink. "Hm?"

Seto's face felt hot with embarrassment as he recalled what Duke had walked in on them doing earlier. He answered, "Yeah, I like her. She's like the little sister I never had."

"I didn't know you ever wanted a little sister," Duke commented with a smirk, putting an arm around Seto and pulling him close as they walked at a leisurely pace. Seto returned the gestured, putting an arm around Duke's shoulders comfortably.

"I was vaguely curious about what it would have been like to have a sister," Seto answered defensively. "Speaking of which, it's almost time for us to retrieve the 'little sister' that Mokuba requested, although technically she'll be his niece."

"Don't use the word 'retrieve' when talking about a child," Duke repudiated him with a roll of his eyes.

"Why not? It's accurate." Seto genuinely didn't see a problem.

"Just, don't." Duke shook his head disapprovingly.

"I'm still not sure I'm ready for this," Seto said with a sigh. "Being a parent, I mean."

"Well, you've enjoyed raising Mokuba, haven't you?"

"Of course I have, but that's different. He never called me his father; this small human will."

Duke face-palmed. "Seto, you can't call a child a small human."

"Why not? It's accurate." Seto really didn't see a problem with that.

"Just, don't." Duke shook his head again before continuing. "Besides, we all miss having a little kid around now that he's a teenager."

"Oh, don't call him a teenager," Seto said, despairing. "Let me pretend that I'm eighteen and just yesterday I was hosting the KC World Championships. He can't be growing up that fast, can he?"

"You're not _that_ old Seto," Duke chuckled at Seto's melodrama. "He's growing up just as fast as you and I are," he answered matter-of-factly. "Have you noticed that he's been going through a growth spurt lately?"

"Of course I've noticed." Seto heaved another sigh. "The best part about it is that soon he'll be too big to be kidnapped. Well, to be kidnapped easily," he corrected as Duke raised an eyebrow at him, reminding him that even when you're fully grown, you're not too big to be abducted—like Duke. Then something occurred to him that he hadn't considered before and that caused him genuine concern. "You don't think our adoptive daughter will be in danger because of me, do you?"

"Seto, I think you've already dealt with all of the underhanded, criminally-minded, unscrupulous enemies you'll ever have," Duke replied, a serious gravity in his voice. "You've certainly had enough of them to last a lifetime. If we do encounter more of them, though, I trust that you'll be able to keep her safe, just like you've kept Mokuba safe."

"But I _didn't_ always keep Mokuba safe," Seto protested worriedly. "You said so yourself that nobody's been kidnapped more times than my little brother. I screwed up _multiple_ times, and I'm lucky that he's managed to not receive any serious injuries."

"That's not quite what I meant, Seto," Duke said patiently. "What I mean is, even when you screwed up in _preventing_ him getting kidnapped, you always got him back, no matter what it cost you." Memories of what happened last summer flickered through both their minds. "Besides, there were some very specific issues that caused you to be distracted from your brother's safety in the past, and you don't have those issues anymore."

Seto gave him a dubious glance.

"During Duelist Kingdom, he was kidnapped because Yugi sent you spiraling into an existential crisis." Seto winced at that particular memory, especially ashamed of that event. "That's not going to happen again anytime soon. He was kidnapped again on the island after he escaped because you weren't there yet, and later he was kidnapped again by Yami Bakura in Pegasus' castle because your soul was trapped inside a trading card. In Battle City, he was kidnapped by Marik because he was running around _alone_ as he acted as Battle City Commissioner. You would never allow that to happen now, but back then, you were distracted with Yugi and the god cards. He was kidnapped by Noah because we were in the Virtual World where he had absolute control. He was kidnapped by Yami Bakura again later on because you were working all night at the office. Now let's see: people tend to only have one existential crisis, your soul is no longer trapped inside a trading card, you're no longer running a Duel Monsters Tournament or obsessed with defeating Yugi, you're no longer in the Virtual World, you no longer spend all night working at KaibaCorp HQ, and you no longer let him go places alone."

"And what about last summer?" Seto had started to feel better as Duke enumerated the conditions that had allowed Mokuba to be kidnapped in the past but were no longer present.

"Last summer, we were gone," Duke said with a smile. "So next time, we'll just take him with us when we go on vacation."

As Seto thought about that, he started to feel better. "You're right," he said at last, giving Duke's shoulders a squeeze and giving him a quick kiss.

"Like I've said, where would you and Ryou be without me?" Duke teased good-naturedly, letting out a light laugh.

* * *

They confronted Ryou the next morning, not wanting to wait any longer to face this problem.

"Have you been feeling anxious at all lately?" Duke asked Ryou, perhaps a bit too bluntly.

Ryou's immediate reaction was surprise and a nervous laugh. He smiled unassuringly and said, "What? No, of course not. I'm fine."

Duke and Seto exchanged a glance, and Seto scooped Ryou up into his arms.

"H-Hey, what's going on?" the brown-eyed Brit asked nervously, glancing from one face to another.

"We don't believe you," Duke answered as he led the way to the bathroom, where Seto carefully set down his precious burden.

"What am I standing on?" Ryou asked as he felt his feet touch something other than the floor, starting to feel panicked.

"A scale," Seto answered briskly as he used an arm to block Ryou's attempt at stepping off it. "Just stand still for a minute, and this doesn't have to be difficult."

He meekly complied, staring off to the side, at his hands, the ceiling—anywhere but at Seto, Duke, or the scale itself. He could already tell what this was about it. It was an awkward silence for several seconds as they waited for the results.

"You've lost ten pounds," Duke announced with a look of disapproval. "Ryou, you don't _have_ ten pounds to lose." His face softened into a look of gentle concern. "You should have—"

Ryou burst into tears at that moment, hiding his face in his hands as Seto quickly pulled him off the scale and into a bear hug. A moment later, Duke had sandwiched Ryou between the two of them, nuzzling against him reassuringly.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Duke asked softly. "I helped you through it before, and we could do it again."

"I just… I didn't want you to worry about me," Ryou choked out between his tears, pressing his face into Seto's chest. "I didn't want… to upset you anymore. Because, when you get upset, then I feel guilty, a-and when I feel guilty, then—" He was getting panicky, his hands seizing Seto's shirt in nervous fistfuls. His hands clenched and unclenched in a way that reminded Seto of Mokuba after the first time he got kidnapped.

"We're not upset with you, Ryou," Seto assured softly, rubbing Ryou's back to calm him down. "You didn't do anything wrong. None of this is your fault. We're sad _for_ you, because you had to go through something so... unpleasant, and we wish that we'd realized that something was wrong sooner than we did."

"We feel like there's so little we can do to help you," Duke added. "And when you hold back from us like this, we feel even more helpless."

"We know that you don't want us to worry about you, but we can't help you unless you tell us what's wrong." Ironic for Seto to say that when Ryou'd said it to him so many times before. "We're going to take you to the doctor now and we're going to figure out how to fix this, okay?" Ryou nodded, but didn't release his hold on Seto. He wasn't done hugging him yet.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Honestly, though, who would _ever_ stop hugging Seto Kaiba if they got the chance to hug him? I know I wouldn't! ;)


	31. After

The doctor was able to help them by advising Ryou to take antiemetics before meals and use herbal teas and deep-breathing exercises to help reduce the anxiety itself. He seemed to believe that it would be a very temporary condition, and because of Ryou's recent operation and the fact that he wasn't suffering from panic attacks, he didn't want to prescribe any antianxiety medications. Ryou didn't strictly need them, and he didn't want to risk that anything interfered with his brain while it was still recovering.

Meanwhile, Duke remembered the deal he'd made with Ryou: that if Duke went and talked to his father in prison, Ryou would call his father and tell him about the brain tumor—and that his estranged wife and daughter were still alive. Duke had held up his end of the deal, but it hardly seemed like the time to bring that up. He was certain that it would only cause Ryou more distress.

After a few days, it was time for Amane and her mother to go back to England. Their farewell was heartfelt and Seto assured them that they were welcome to come and visit with them anytime. Ryou promised to call Amane every now and then to keep in touch, and Amane and Mokuba had already planned on playing online games together, having exchanged usernames and friend codes earlier.

Not long after they'd left, Duke found the gift that Amane had left behind for them. In her time with them, she'd talked to all of them and sought to understand how their lives had formed their personalities. She used that insight to create sketches for Duke, Ryou, and Mokuba that mimicked the way her sketch of Seto seemed to encompass his history and his soul.

Seto, grateful for the gift and impressed with her talent, had them framed and hung on the wall where their meaningful pictures resided.

Over time, more pictures were added to the wall in the parlor: their wedding picture, Amane's high school graduation, Ryou's college graduation, Duke hosting the first Dungeon Dice Monsters tournament in Japan, Amane's first day working at KaibaCorp, Mokuba's high school graduation, the time Seto had made his first deal with Pegasus, the opening of Duke's first game shop, the day Mokuba and Amane got married, and a myriad of other life events. They got some older pictures from Ryou's mother, so they were able to add some pictures of Ryou and Amane when they were little, as well as pictures of Ryou as a newborn with his parents in the hospital. They even forced Duke to scrounge up an old picture himself: him and his mother on Christmas when he was nine.

They adopted more children over the years, always orphans, and they managed to make quite a happy family for themselves. They invited Amane and Mrs. Bakura to visit for Christmas, and they did, and they kept coming every year, which was wonderful. When Duke's mother got out of rehab, she finally got her life back together. Once she got a steady job and a solid group of friends, she even started seeing a widowed father who needed a mother-figure for his thirteen-year-old daughter. They were genuinely in love, and Duke was happy for them, so he actually attended the wedding.

Duke and Seto managed to strong-arm Ryou into talking to his dad one last time, if only to get some kind of closure with him. He ended up accidentally revealing that Amane and his mother were still alive, to which his father had reacted with first horror than remorse. Ryou still couldn't find it in his heart to forgive him, though. Nothing his father said or did could make his abandonment of his son alright, and Ryou, angered and distressed, let his father know that in no uncertain terms. He'd needed a father when he was bullied, when he was lonely, when he was depressed, when he was possessed, when he was growing up, when he was applying to colleges, when he was struggling to find his own identity as separate from that of the thief's. He'd needed a father when he was suffering from anxiety-panic disorder, when he suffered from night terrors, when he became underweight from sheer stress, when he felt so emotionally exhausted that he couldn't move for days at a time.

They were both crying by the time Ryou finished his rant, and he left without saying another word. He never wanted to see him again. Ryou was usually caring and emotional and supportive, but even he had his limits. Being abandoned by his father had been the ultimate betrayal, and Ryou found betrayal utterly unforgivable.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** So ends one of my favorite fanfics out of all the ones I've written. If you enjoyed this story, check out the prequel here: s/11982246/1/Power-Of-Three.


	32. Fallout

"You need to relax." Duke closed the textbook Ryou was copying passages from, marking the page with one of his husband's highlighted handouts.

"Hey!" Ryou protested, reaching out for his book, but his reflexes were slowed by sleepiness, and Duke easily pulled it out of his reach. "I was using that…"

"Do you even realize how dark it is in here?" All of the lights in the library were off except for the single desk lamp on the table where Ryou's study materials were spread out. "You're going to ruin your eyes like this." Duke plucked Ryou's pen out of his hand and pulled his chair away from the table. "Do you know how long you've been in here?"

"A couple hours…?"

Duke moved around the chair to take Ryou by the hands and pull him up out of it.

"You've been in here for almost six hours," he informed the college student with a hint of disapproval. "You look exhausted and you know you need to sleep soon, or else you'll be tired in the morning, and you have an eight o'clock class tomorrow, so if you don't sleep now, you'll have a bad day tomorrow." Duke kissed Ryou sweetly and put a kind arm around his shoulders, starting to guide him towards the exit. "And the last thing we want is for you to have a bad day on the last day of classes before exams."

"I need to pack up my books," Ryou murmured. He stumbled a little, but Duke readily caught him.

"I'll send someone else to do it," Duke assured.

"But I have a very particular way of organizing my notes," Ryou protested weakly. "And I have my notes for both my psych-stats class and my ancient history class out, and they can't get mixed up, or…"

"We'll make sure that your notes are separated and organized properly, and you can always check them on your way to class tomorrow." Duke spoke soothingly as he led Ryou out of the library towards their bedroom. He then asked, somewhat dubiously, "Did you take your supplements this evening?"

"No, I lost track of time," he admitted grudgingly, his gaze downcast as he focused on not tripping over his own feet. He feared Duke would be annoyed with him, but he didn't seem as bothered by it as Ryou thought he might be.

"Then let's do that first, okay?"

"Okay."

When Ryou's anxiety relapse was discovered by Duke and Seto that summer, they'd immediately gone to doctors and therapists to figure out the root of the issue and how best to confront it. They'd been warned that it might take several months for Ryou to return to his previous personality, habits, preferences, and the like, but somehow, they hadn't really believed that. They hadn't expected Ryou to be so deeply affected. They'd unconsciously assumed that Ryou was more resilient than that, which had set them up for disappointment.

They got him into therapy right away, as recommended, but Kaiba'd refused to fill the prescription the doctor had given them. Rather, he began to do thorough research on the various anti-anxiety medications and supplements available in the market. At first, Duke had accused him of being paranoid, but after three days dedicated solely to this pursuit, Seto handed Duke a report containing the fruits of his research—which was amusing in itself—that persuaded him he wasn't just being paranoid.

Seto had considered all possible factors in determining the right medication for their lover, including side effects (what kind, how common, how severe), potential for addiction, drug interactions, consumer satisfaction, performance in research studies, and how established the medication was in the pharmaceutical community. After concluding that no prescription medication was good enough for Ryou, he looked at alternative medicine. They eventually found an organic supplement with no side-effects and sufficient potency that satisfied Seto and that helped Ryou feel better. It had a morning formula and an evening formula, so Ryou was taking supplements twice a day. They took the edge off and extinguished his occasional bouts of intense panic, but they were only a short-term solution, hence the therapy.

It helped when his therapist challenged him to get out of the house. The Kaiba mansion was so large that Ryou didn't _feel_ confined when he stayed inside and didn't leave for days on end, which was probably why he needed to be reminded to leave it every now and then. He would meet Yugi for lunch or Joey for coffee, and he always came back with lighter spirits. The hard part was getting him to go in the first place.

"You at least ate dinner, right?"

"I think so," Ryou answered with an indifferent shrug.

"Think harder, then. Did you or not?"

"I remember eating, yeah. Someone brought me some soup."

"Okay, good."

His eating habits were carefully watched in the kindest and subtlest way possible. Duke and Seto refused to let him skip meals, starve himself, or binge on pastries without them being aware and ready to remedy the situation. He'd been doing quite well through October, but as November approached, they had to take into consideration the fact that finals always stressed him out. Otherwise, they would have considered easing up a bit. He wasn't completely readjusted, though, and for his own safety, they were maintaining all current treatments until the danger was definitely past.

His therapist was also the reason he was taking a painting class this semester, because he needed a relaxing creative outlet to help him feel balanced. Ryou had chosen to take it as a class so that he was sure to make time for it.

"You're pretty quiet tonight." Duke opened their bedroom door and led Ryou inside, letting him sit on the edge of the bed while he found Ryou's vitamins.

"Just thinking about all the things I have to do tomorrow."

"Like what?"

"I have meetings set up with two professors and a study session after my three o'clock, and I have to print out my paper at the library during my lunch hour, because I planned on doing it later tonight, and—"

"You're way too wound up to sleep right now." Duke held out Ryou's meds and a glass of water, which he accepted automatically, swallowing the tablet with the water and drinking the whole glass. "I wonder how Seto's going to react to your haircut."

"Even if he's annoyed, he can't do anything about it," Ryou replied with a shrug. Kaiba was currently in America on business, so yesterday, Ryou had taken advantage of his absence to finally get his first proper haircut in over a year. Sure, he'd gotten trims before, but it was never significantly shortened because Seto had disliked the notion. It had gotten so long, though, that Ryou found it to be too difficult to manage, and had gotten it cut so short it was only shoulder-length, like it used to be.

"I like it." Duke brushed away some loose strands of hair, then bent forward to comb his fingers through Ryou's hair with both hands. He kissed him sweetly, unsurprised when Ryou simply melted into him. "Would you like to go in the hot tub?" Duke murmured against Ryou's lips, his voice persuasive in its tenor. "It'll be just like last time, when we were in the pool…"

"What?" Ryou looked genuinely confused as he pulled back, pressing his hands to Duke's shoulders so that he couldn't be charmed into another kiss. "What are you referring to?"

"You know, last May, when I was swimming at night, and you…" Duke stopped as he realized that Ryou had no idea what he was talking about. Not only that, but he was starting to look scared. "You really don't remember that?"

"I don't remember doing _anything_ in the pool," Ryou said, starting to sound distressed. "I don't remember doing anything like that at all—"

"Calm down." Duke ceased stooping and seated himself beside Ryou on the bed, rubbing his back soothingly. "Calm down, love. Nobody's memory is perfect."

"It's not _that_ ," Ryou protested tearfully, his voice pitching into a whine.

"I don't understand what's wrong."

"Don't you?" Ryou looked angry now as he aimed his damp, dark eyes at his lover.

"How can I know what's wrong if you don't tell me?"

This question must have crossed a line or pushed him too far, because Ryou pushed off and away from the bed, heading towards the door. Duke was faster, though, and he placed both hands firmly on the door above Ryou's head to shut it before he got it more than a couple inches open.

"Let me out, Duke!" Ryou demanded, pulling on the doorknob with his heels digging into the carpet.

"No," he muttered around gritted teeth. "I'm not going to let you run off on your own when you're this upset. Just talk to me and we'll fix this."

"I don't _want_ to talk to you right now!"

"Why the bloody hell not?"

"Because I'm mad at you!"

"What did I do wrong?"

"Figure it out on your own!"

"Ryou, stop it right now." Duke's words were sharp and forceful, and the power behind them was enough to make Ryou's escape attempts diminish so that he sagged forward against the door. "Ryou, I don't want to be mad at you," Duke began, even though it was quite apparent that he _was_ mad. "It would be better for both of us if we talked this out now, before it got worse. If we're going to do that, though, you need to calm down and tell me what's wrong."

Ryou didn't say anything for a few moments, so Duke tried to touch his arm, but the moment his hand made contact, Ryou pulled back, stepping away from him. Duke sighed, frustrated, but resisted the urge to just walk away.

"Ryou, I know you're mad at me, but can you at least look me in the eye."

Reluctantly, the Brit lifted his eyes to Duke's, looking hurt and bitter.

"If you don't want to talk tonight, then we'll talk tomorrow. Okay?"

Ryou inclined his head ever so slightly, then turned away. His lover sighed, annoyed, but he figured that was the best he could hope for tonight. He just wished that he knew what he did wrong.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** _BONUS DRABBLES~!_ I'll be rewriting this whole story next summer and adding to it and making the whole thing better, so I figured I'd add this scene here for ya'll to see, since I had the muse for it. Also, if you want to see a conclusion to this cliff-hanger, please review and tell me what you think!


	33. Forgiveness

When Ryou's school day had finally come to a close and he no longer needed to be on campus, Seto was the one to come pick him up.

"Hey," he greeted, sounding casual and calm. "I missed you." He leaned in to kiss Ryou, who reciprocated with a bit of relief. As he started to pull the car away from the sidewalk, he asked, "How was your day?"

"Not great," Ryou admitted with a sigh, closing his eyes as he let his head fall back against the headrest.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Seto had one hand one the steering wheel, driving quite expertly away from the campus towards the mansion. His other hand went to Ryou's shoulder, giving it a squeeze and starting to rub it to relieve the tension he felt there. "Duke told me about what happened last night."

"I don't want to talk about it," Ryou said quickly, his eyes still closed as he leaned into Kaiba's touch.

"You don't have to." Seto's reply was calm, and Ryou was grateful for it. They were quiet for a little while, the radio playing a political talk-show at low volume instead of Seto's usual classic rock.

"I'm not a bother, am I?" Ryou asked suddenly, taking Seto by surprise.

"I never want to hear you ask that ever again," Seto said sternly, eyes on the road as he moved his hand from Ryou's shoulder to his hand and gave it a squeeze. "And don't think it, either. Understood?"

"Yes, alright," Ryou sighed, dropping his head to Seto's shoulder and adding his other hand to their already clasped ones. "Thank you." He paused, then explained, "I-I was just thinking about how we've had to put off the adoption because of me, and—"

"Don't worry about it. We're young. We have plenty of time."

"But I know Mokuba wanted a little sister and—"

"She wouldn't be his sister even if we'd adopted her a year ago," Seto pointed out. "She'd be his niece, whether he likes it or not." Seto gave Ryou a sidelong glance. "You look tired. Did you sleep well last night?"

"Well enough," he answered with a half shrug. "Why?"

"Because you look exhausted, and I'm worried about you."

"I spent all evening studying for exams," Ryou confessed.

"And I'm proud of you for it," Seto praised, slipping his hand out of Ryou's hands and putting his arm around the other's slight shoulders. "But you're pushing yourself too hard."

"How do you mean?"

"I mean that you've kept up a rigorous academic schedule despite the lasting, though temporary,"—Seto thought it a necessary caveat to articulate since Ryou was so very sensitive—"complications of your operation. I let you have a full schedule for the fall, because you so desperately wanted to, but I think it's done you more harm than good."

"What are you getting at?" Ryou could tell by Seto's tone that he was working his way to saying something he thought Ryou wouldn't like.

"I want you to be a part-time student next semester."

"But—" Ryou was quick to protest, but Seto was equally quick to explain himself.

"The amount of stress you're putting yourself through is slowing your recovery, making you miserable, _and_ affecting your grades. Not that _I'm_ disappointed by your grades," he added quickly, so that Ryou didn't get the wrong idea. " _I_ am proud of you, but _you're_ dissatisfied with them, and neither of us want that. I'd rather you spread out your classes a bit more if that's what's better for your health. It's not forever, you know. It's just for one semester, and you can catch up with summer sessions. You can even go back to London to retake that class you tried to take last summer." He concluded his speech in a slower pace for emphasis. "But you _need_ to let yourself _heal_ if you want me to permit that." He met Ryou's disappointed gaze with his own concerned one. "I just want what's best for you."

"I already registered for next semester's classes, though." Ryou nibbled on his bottom lip nervously, but Seto remained calm.

"We'll decide which classes you should drop over Christmas break. The three of us will sit down and figure it out."

"I don't want to talk to Duke." Ryou pouted, looking back at the road. "You'll want to get onto the 249. There was an accident on the expressway this morning, and I think it's still back up."

Seto mentally adjusted his route and changed lanes, then turned his attention back to Ryou. "Why are you mad at him? He's really upset about what happened last night, you know." Regret stung Ryou to the core, but he didn't say anything. "He doesn't understand what happened to set you off and—Oh, dear, don't cry." He removed his arm from Ryou's shoulders as the youth sat up straight again, and he gently held Ryou's chin between forefinger and thumb, one eye on the road. "Come here and kiss me, I hate to see you cry."

"Shouldn't you focus on driving?" Ryou protested nervously as he leaned back from him.

"I'm a great driver, you know that. Come on, it'll be quick."

Ryou, still hesitant, gave in and granted Kaiba a quick peck on the lips.

"See? I told you it'd be fine." Seto smirked, looking rather satisfied with himself as he straightened up again, both eyes on the road and his right hand now on Ryou's thigh. "When have I ever gotten us into an accident?"

"Never," Ryou answered with a sigh. "Who even taught you how to drive?" Their conversation made him realize that he didn't even know.

"Roland taught me."

"That makes sense. He's been your right-hand man ever since you took over the company."

"He was invaluable in helping me make adjustments to the staff of both the household and the company."

"Adjustments? Like what?"

"Oh, firing the people I didn't like, mostly," Seto answered mischievously, glanced at Ryou, then amended, "Come on, you know I wouldn't fire people without good reason."

"Depends on how you define a 'good reason,'" his passenger quipped.

"I firmly believe that I can justify all of my past actions," Kaiba declared, implicitly challenging Ryou to come up with an instance to contradict him.

"What about when you fired Hobson?"

"He scared Mokuba. Besides, anyone who takes so much joy in the suppression of a child's spirit and freedom has a disturbed personality and would subsequently be a hazard to other's in the workplace." He spoke so calmly, so clearly, so professionally, it was hard to argue with his reasoning.

"Alright, fair enough." Ryou let himself relax once more, both physically and mentally. "I'm glad you're back home."

"I'm glad to be home too." He glanced at Ryou again with a soft smile. "And I like the haircut."

"Thanks." Ryou ran his fingers through his hair, still getting used to the feeling of having his hair this short again after keeping it at such length for so long.

"Keep smiling, alright? I like you better that way."

* * *

"I'm not done with my studying yet!" Ryou protested as Kaiba pulled his chair away from his desk in a manner similar to how Duke had done the same last night.

"Did you finish all of the homework that's due tomorrow?"

"Yes, but—"

"But nothing." Kaiba helped Ryou out of his chair, holding him upright as Ryou wobbled a little, his knees stiff from sitting for so long. "You and Duke are going to sort things out right now, before anymore time passes. Will you come willingly, or must I carry you?"

Ryou sighed dramatically. "There's no point arguing with you, is there?"

"Since when has arguing with me ever accomplished anything?" Seto smirked and politely asked, "May I carry you to our room?"

"Can I ride on your back?" Ryou smiled a small, hopeful smile at his husband, who chuckled at him and assented, letting Ryou stand on the chair so that he could cling to Seto from behind. He nuzzled into Seto's shoulder as he was carried, his temporary light mood fading fast as he mentally prepared himself for the discussion he was being forced to have.

"There you go," Seto said as he tumbled Ryou onto the bed, then placed his hands on the mattress on either side of his slim body and leaned over him. "You're still as light as a feather. I bench-press more weight than you, you know."

"I weigh as much as I did back in high school," Ryou answered with a shrug, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"You're taller now than you were back then, though. Only by a few centimeters, but still, you're too little." He gently pushed Ryou's bangs off his face, pleased by the way his husband nuzzled into his hand. "My tiny kitten..." Seto bent down and kissed him tenderly, hoping to put him in a good mood that would carry over into their impending confrontation. Seto had pulled back and Ryou was sitting up as Duke entered the room with a mug of coffee. Duke looked cross, which was understandable, but when Ryou looked at him, he couldn't hold his gaze. He looked away again and held tightly onto Seto's hand.

"You're not even going to talk to me?" Duke looked more irritated as he leaned against the wall and sipped his coffee.

"Come on," Kaiba urged gently, looking down at Ryou with soft eyes. "Let's get this settled. How pleasant do you think it is for me when you two are fighting?"

Ryou looked at Duke from behind his hair, still reluctant to speak.

"At least explain to me what it is I said that triggered you?" Duke asked with an annoyed sigh. "You owe me that much, at least."

"It was... what you said about the swimming."

Duke had to strain to hear him.

"And what about that upset you?" he snapped. "Like I said last night, you're not the only one who forgets things."

"That's not what happened, though!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Calm down, both of you." Kaiba's authoritative presence and voice were coming in handy, though he never thought he'd have to arbitrate an argument between his two loves. They always got along so well together. He sat beside the shorter one on the edge of the bed and put a comforting hand on his back. "Ryou, please explain to us what you mean by that."

"Duke is under the impression that in May, he and I once... slept together, in the pool." He glanced at Duke for confirmation, and the dark-haired entrepreneur nodded slightly, sour though he looked. "And I have no memory of this ever happening."

"And?" Kaiba prompted.

"And so that means it wasn't _me_ he was with."

"Oh, for goodness sake, you think I wouldn't be able to tell you apart from someone else?" Emerald eyes flashed as their owner approached them. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

"You still don't get it!" Ryou's eyes started watering as a look of anger finally overtook his features. "It wasn't _me_ , it was _him_!"

Kaiba and Duke understood him in the same instant, but they reacted differently to this revelation. Duke looked betrayed while Kaiba looked merely confused.

"You really think I wouldn't know how to tell you and the spirit apart?" he hissed, putting his mug on the dresser as he came closer. "It was _you_! I'd bet my life on it!"

"You know he can imitate me perfectly! In the past, you and the others could never tell me from him _pretending_ to be me!"

Duke opened his mouth, snapped it shut again, stalked out of the room, and slammed the door shut behind him.

"You're not being reasonable, Ryou," Kaiba said quietly, putting both arms around him as he started to tremble from sheer emotion. "It wasn't even _him_ this spring. It was your mind playing tricks on you. It was a _brain tumor_ , Ryou, _not_ an evil spirit."

"Then why don't I remember that happening?" He crossed his arms indignantly. "Duke's not lying about what he remembers, so why can't I remember that?"

Kaiba sighed for a moment and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know," he answered finally. "But I have a possible theory. I'm going to figure this out tonight; I'm not letting you two go to bed angry again. You shouldn't have been so hard on him, though." Ryou's eyes watered again, and Kaiba kissed his cheek. "Please don't cry. I'm going to fix this within an hour, so don't cry. Just wait here until I come back, okay?"

"Okay."

"You're still tired, so take a nap and I'll wake you when I return."

"Alright," Ryou sighed, looking disappointed and low in spirits. Kaiba kissed his forehead again before leaving the younger one to curl up on the bed with a pillow hugged to his chest. Kaiba didn't leave before grabbing Duke's mug, though. He found his other husband scowling at some expense reports from The Black Clown as he lounged in the parlor.

"I think my new cashier's stealing from me."

"Then you should fire him."

"First thing tomorrow, that's precisely what I'll do." Duke looked up at Seto, his face relaxing a little. "Why doesn't he have any faith in me?"

"He's emotional, irrational, and confused." He dropped a hand to caress Duke's hair, which he'd let down since their talk with Ryou. "He's still recovering, and it's just taking a while."

"It's taking an awful long time," the shop-owner grumbled. He'd done his best not to lose his temper or get outwardly frustrated with this whole process, but he'd been doing so for months, and his efforts to stay upbeat despite everything were quite taxing.

"He had _cancer_ ," Kaiba pointed out patiently. "We should just be grateful that he didn't need radiation treatments or chemotherapy. One surgery, and that was it. We should be glad that he didn't even need to have his head shaved for the sake of the surgery. We should be glad that he's alive."

"I know you're right, and I am glad he's mostly okay, but it's... hard sometimes when nothing I say seems to make a difference."

"That's why he's in therapy and taking supplements. That's why he's getting help. That's why I'm making him lighten his class load for next semester so that he can go easy on himself and give him the time that he needs to recover without constantly setting himself back." Kaiba sipped Duke's coffee as he let the other lean against his leg and close his eyes. "Hold on a little longer, and don't take his accusation personally. He doesn't know what he's saying, and it's all just a misunderstanding."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, just give me an hour to prove it."

"Okay, I trust you." Duke looked up at Seto and blinked in surprise. "You're drinking my coffee."

"You left it behind." Kaiba shrugged casually, as if that gave him every right to drink it.

"Give that back."

Seto bent down and handed Duke his coffee, then kissed him. "Have I ever told you how much I like it when you leave your hair down and let it curl?"

"Only a hundred times." He couldn't help but grin.

* * *

"Thank you both for joining me," Seto said as Duke and Ryou took their seats in front of the huge screen in the entertainment center. "I would like to get this cleared up once and for all." He flicked off the lights then went back to a table he had set up in the back of the room, where his laptop sat open and waiting for him. He picked up a small remote from the table and turned the screen on, an image of a brain appearing on it, the same image on his laptop screen. "Ryou, pop quiz: what are the four lobes of the brain?"

"The frontal, the parietal, the temporal, and the occipital," he answered automatically, like the good little psych student he was.

"And which one is this?" Seto asked as he circled one area with a red laser pointer.

"The occipital."

"What does it do?"

"Broadly speaking, it's the primary visual processing center of the brain."

"And what's this part right below it?"

"The cerebellum; it governs coordination and motor skills."

"And this part below _it?_ "

"The brain stem; it controls biological, autonomic processes of the peripheral nervous system."

"And what's this lobe below the occipital?"

"Are you going somewhere with this?" Duke snapped impatiently.

"Give me a minute. I'm building up to something. Ryou, what's this one?"

"That's the temporal lobe."

"What does it do?"

"It stores and governs memory, both short- and long-term."

Seto hit the spacebar on his laptop and a new imge appeared. Laser pointer in hand, he strolled up to stand behind the couch and pat Ryou on the head.

"All that studying must be paying off," he commented, making Ryou beam up at him. He was taking biological psychology this semester, so Seto's praise was quite uplifting. "This is Ryou's CT scan from June," he explained, all of them turning their attention back to the TV screen. "And this, on the right side, is the CT scan of a normal brain."

"The fuck!" Duke exclaimed suddenly as he stared at the screen.

"What, Duke? What's wrong now?" Seto asked in annoyance. "You've seen these before, you know."

"Yeah, but I didn't realize that the tumor looked like an embryo!"

"Oh my god you're right…" How had he not seen that before?

"I'm like a god," Ryou whispered in awe, making both his lovers look at him strangely.

"What makes you say _that_?"

"Remember, in Greek mythology, Zeus' daughter Athena sprang fully formed from his head after Hephaestus cracked it open for him. Hermes was also born from Zeus' thigh-"

"Nevermind. I'm sorry I asked." Seto sighed as he tried to regain his train of thought, but the moment that Duke started to laugh, Ryou laughed too, and Seto couldn't stop himself from joining in. Maybe because if they didn't all laugh, any one of them might cry. "Anyways, you can see that the tumor is pushing primarily against the occipital lobe and the cerebellum, but it also stretches down here towards the temporal lobe." He continued using the laser pointer demonstratively. "The tumor pushing on the cerebellum caused most of the physical symptoms: weight loss, dizziness, clumsiness, insomnia, etc. It pushing on the occipital caused the adiovisual hallucinations, that is, the belief that the Spirit of the Millennium Ring had returned." Ryou shivered automatically. "The fact that the tumor pushed a bit on the temporal lobe too implies that a few memory blanks in the month before the tumor was discovered are entirely understandable and not without a biopsychological cause."

Ryou looked over his shoulder at Seto, his expression one of affectionate gratitude, then he turned to face Duke. "I'm sorry for doubting you. I shouldn't have accused you like that."

"And I'm sorry for getting so angry with you." Duke looked relieved as he and he and Ryou embraced as a seal of their mutual forgiveness.

"You know, Seto, you truly are the nerdiest romantic I've ever known," Ryou said as he and Duke released each other. "Between the brain scans and the Latin and-"

"And the what?" Duke raised an eyebrow at Kaiba, who was quick to change the subject.

"Do you want to look at _my_ brain scans?" he offered, hoping to derail Duke's curiosity.

"When did you have your brain scanned? Did they think something was wrong?" Ryou asked, surprised by the news and starting to grow concerned.

"Oh, nothing was wrong. I had my brain scanned for the fun of it."

The two couched men looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Pfft. Like you've never wondered what your brain activity patterns looked like," he scoffed.

"No, I haven't," Duke chuckled. "Not for a single moment of my life."

Seto remained silent with his arms crossed as he waited for them to laugh themselves out.

"Oh, Seto, dear, we're not making fun of you." Ryou stood on his knees and kissed Kaiba deeply. He sighed a little and uncrossed his arms so that he could embrace Eyou in return. He felt a tug on his arm, and looped it around Duke, who was now at Ryou's side.

"Per aspera ad astra," Duke whispered into Seto's ear, making him jerk back suddenly. The look of utter shock and arousal on his face was enough to confirm Duke's suspicions.

"You bastard! You lied to me! You said you didn't have any fetishes! Ryou, why didn't _you_ tell me?" Duke sounded as if he'd been jilted.

"It wasn't my secret to tell," he defended. "I kept telling him to tell you, though."

"And why didn't you tell me yourself?" he demanded next, turning back to Seto.

"Because you're a troll, and I couldn't risk you using it against me at the most inappropriate times."

Duke clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

"You do realize I'm going to learn Latin now, just to spite you."

"Neque enim specie famave movetur nec iam furtivum Dido meditatur amorem: coniugium vocat, hoc praetexit nomine culpam." Ryou whispered the Latin verse into Seto's ear, making him blush so deeply Duke could see it in the darkness. Seto chuckled as Ryou butted his nose into the brunette's cheek, and Duke started to feel left out.

"What did he say?"

"Oh, nothing," Seto sighed, his voice already rough with passion.

"Good lord, Seto! You really _do_ have a fetish." After more than two years of denying it, his secret was finally exposed to the dice-master. "I wish you'd told me."

"You know now," Ryou answered for him as he placed his fingertips on Kaiba's bottom lip, prompting him to start nibbling on them automatically.

"You have him on a string, don't you?" Duke accused, narrowing his eyes at the Brit.

"Only when it comes to Latin." Ryou smirked, and it was a smirk worthy of the Kaiba name.

"You have him wrapped around your little finger, like a—ah!" Duke gasped as Seto bit at the side of his neck.

"I serve no man but myself," he growled, reasserting his dominance.

"I think the power struggle between you two is a critical part of your dynamic," Ryou observed aloud, a twinkle in his eye. "I didn't want to spoil it."


	34. Guests

**A/N: So, this piece has been fermenting in my mind for months now, and I finally decided to write it down. This chapter and the ones following it _will_ contradict the last paragraphs of chapter 31, but don't let that throw you off. Enjoy and review with what you think will happen next!**

* * *

"Marik! I'm so glad you could make it!" Ryou threw his arms around his friend with a laugh as they collided in the hallway, snowflakes still melting in the Egyptian's platinum blond hair from being outside.

"It's been too long," Marik agreed warmly, pulling back to smile at Ryou, who held both of Marik's cold hands as his cheeks turned pink with excitement. Ryou gave Marik's hands a squeeze to warm them before he let them drop, then turned to smile at Ishizu and Odion who stood behind their little brother, smiling back, but with more reserve.

"It's so good to see you both as well," he greeted, wanting them to feel just as welcome as Marik, because they were. "Duke and Seto are both working today, but they'll be home in time for dinner. Naomi can show you to your rooms so you can get settled. I'm sure you'll want to rest after your long flight."

"Thank you. We're very grateful that you're letting us stay with you." Ishizu's answer was polite, but she made an effort to put some warmth into her voice. She and Odion had a tendency to come across as aloof and cold, even to their friends, and she was trying to alter that impression. Odion nodded in agreement to Ishizu's statement, but made no attempt at speech.

"It's no trouble at all," Ryou assured as Naomi, the maid who'd let the Ishtars in through the front door, started to lead the two elder ones down the hall. Ryou and Marik followed at a small distance, arms looped together once Ryou had insisted on carrying Marik's bag and shouldered the load.

"So your mom and sister are already here?"

"Yeah, they've been here for a few days. You can meet them once you and your family are settled in. Are you hungry?"

"Not now, but I'm sure I will be soon."

Ryou couldn't help but notice how Ishizu and Odion's hands brushed together as they walked, as if they couldn't decided if they wanted to hold hands or not.

"So, have those two figured things out yet?" Ryou asked in a low voice, curiosity getting the better of him.

"No, not yet," Marik answered, knowing exactly what Ryou was referring to. "I mean, Odion was adopted, so they're not even related by blood. Our father never really acknowledged him as a son anyways, so he's only been our brother in spirit. I think it still feels weird to them, though."

"I see what you mean," Ryou agreed with an understanding nod. "Even so, I hope they don't feel _too_ uncomfortable while they're staying with us. Unorthodox relationships are normal around here, so no one's going to judge them."

"Thanks." Marik's lilac eyes expressed relief as he smiled at his long-time friend. "I'm sure they appreciate it."

Ever since Ishizu and Odion had begun considering a relationship with each other, Marik had felt weird about the whole thing as well. But since they lacked a blood tie, it wasn't incest, and they were both adults fully capable of making their own decisions. Marik feared that if they chose to be together, it might be based more on convenience than anything else. After all, Odion had never really adapted well to modern life and had difficulty speaking with people outside his circle of acquaintances. On the other hand, Ishizu knew that over ninety-nine percent of men would laugh at her if she tried to speak to them about gods and spirits and magic, and she couldn't stand the idea of marrying a man like that. Since neither of them wanted to be alone, and they both already knew each other so well, it would be convenient for them to be a couple. However, Marik feared that if they _didn't_ truly love each other romantically and still got married, they'd both end up disappointed and unhappy. Hence the need to take their time and figure things out _before_ they made any series attempts at being a couple.

"I'll let you go now," Ryou said as they reached the guest rooms set aside for the Ishtars. He handed Marik his bag back and continued, "But if you need anything—or get lost—you can ask any of the staff for help or send me a text. Mokuba, Amane, and I are playing video games in the entertainment room down the hall, so you can come find us when you're ready."

"Thanks, I will." Marik smiled and they hugged once more before parting.

Ryou was glad that Duke and Seto had been okay with his plan for Christmas this year. Since Ryou was on the upswing of his recovery and he'd found his family, he'd wanted to make a big deal of the holiday season. They had plenty to celebrate, to be grateful for, so he'd proposed they share their massive home with some friends for the week of Christmas. Mum and Amane had been invited as a matter of course, and Ryou had asked to invite the Ishtars as well because, while he'd forged a solid friendship with Marik, his family still lived in Egypt and he never got to see him. Kaiba didn't know anyone that he'd care to invite outside of his own home, and Duke was still negotiating with his mother about her coming by for Christmas day. Just last week she'd celebrated a year of being sober, inviting her son to the party too. He'd attended, and it seemed like they were getting reacquainted.

Mr. Bakura still knew nothing about his estranged wife and daughter being alive, and Ryou planned on keeping it that way. This year, he was going to get the family Christmas he had always deserved.


	35. Siblings

"Marik, this is my little sister Amane." Ryou introduced them with a sense of pride. "Amane, this is my friend Marik Ishtar."

"It's nice to meet you," Marik greeted with an easy smile, shaking hands with Amane.

"Nice to meet you too. Ryou's told me a lot about you."

"Oh?" Marik's heart stuttered as he glanced at Ryou with a questioning look, but his friend reassured him with twinkling eyes.

"She's just itching to duel you. She's watched as many of your Battle City duels as she could to prepare for it." Ryou put an arm around her shoulders and gave them a slight squeeze. "She's got a nasty deck, though, so watch out!"

"Hey, no spoilers!" Amane elbowed Ryou in the ribs, so he dropped his arm from her shoulder so he could poke her in the side. She squeaked indignantly and Ryou laughed at her, Marik laughing a little too.

"I'd love to duel you some time—" Marik began but was cut off by Ryou's eager sister.

"We could duel right now, if you're up for it." Amane seemed just as keen as Ryou'd claimed.

"Slow down, sis, he just got off a thirteen hour flight," Ryou chided, patting her shoulder with a patronizing smile. "You'll have plenty of time to duel him before he leaves."

"How about tomorrow?" Marik proposed.

"Sounds good to me."

"Where's Mokuba?" Marik asked, realizing that he was missing.

"He left a few minutes ago to make Christmas cookies with our mum," Ryou answered, his face taking on a new glow. Marik felt a small twinge of envy at Ryou's happiness, but reminded himself that Ryou'd suffered more than his share of tribulations in life and that his joy was still fresh and new. "Mum likes Mokuba a lot. I think spending time with him makes her feel like she's making up for some of the things she missed while we were separated, and Mokuba's nice enough to go along with it."

"Mokuba's always been a good kid," Marik agreed. "I remember him being nice to everybody." He glanced up at the TV screen and asked, "So, what game are you guys playing?"

"We're playing the old Grinch Dreamcast game," Amane answered with a grin. "It's pretty well done considering how old it is."

Marik was already lost. "Grinch? What is that?"

"You've never seen _The Grinch Who Stole Christmas_?" Amane asked in shock.

Marik shook his head. If she was shocked by that, then he knew that Ryou hadn't told her about his family's origins either, for the which he was grateful.

"And you've never read the book?"

"No, I haven't."

"That's crazy! Do we have a copy of it lying around somewhere?" That question was directed at her brother.

"I think we have one in the library. I can go get it if you want me to."

"Yes, because he needs to see this." Amane turned and picked up the controller so she could save their progress. "In the mean time, I will set up the movie. We'll read the book, then we'll watch the movie, and then he'll know what we're talking about."

"Which movie?"

"Both of them!"

Marik found Amane's enthusiasm appealing, and as Ryou left to fetch the book, he found that he didn't actually feel uncomfortable being left alone with her, as he thought he might be. While he'd _wanted_ to visit with Ryou's family for the holidays, he hadn't felt entirely confident about how welcome he'd be here or how long he'd get along with everyone. Things seemed to be going well so far, though, so he felt hopeful.

* * *

As Kaiba rode in the backseat of his limo answering emails on his phone, he wondered how Mokuba was doing with his assignment. In early December, Mokuba had come to his brother with an odd request that had changed things between them.

 _"Seto, can I talk to you?"_

 _Kaiba looked up from his computer screen to his brother, who stood just inside the doorway to his office._

 _"Shouldn't you be at school?"_

 _"It's lunch time. I called Roland to send the limo for me." Mokuba rocked back and forth on his feet, suddenly feeling a bit uncertain._

 _"What's on your mind?" Seto saved his spreadsheet and looked up as Mokuba walked closer and placed his hands on the far edge of his brother's desk._

 _"So..." Mokuba looked troubled, or maybe he was just thoughtful. "I'm the vice president of KaibaCorp, right?"_

 _"Yes, you still technically hold that title." Kaiba sat back in his chair, arms crossed over his broad chest as he watched his little brother process this._

 _"But I don't do any work."_

 _"No, you don't." He calmly stated the fact, careful not to sound accusatory lest Mokuba take it to heart._

 _"Do you have more work to do because of that?"_

 _"Most likely," Kaiba answered after a moment's thought._

 _"I want to work," Mokuba declared, the thoughtful look leaving his face and replaced by determination._

 _Kaiba certainly hadn't been expecting that._

 _"I want to learn to do what you do."_

 _Seto looked at his brother for a few moments as he contemplated Mokuba's request. Mokuba was waiting, afraid that he might be refused. He watched every movement his brother made as Seto stood and rolled up his shirt sleeves, crossing over to the wall-mounted whiteboard. He picked up a blue marker, uncapped it, and began to write something across the top of the board._

 _"Lesson number one: correlation does not equal causation."_

 _Mokuba plucked a blank legal pad from the stash on his brother's bookshelf and picked up a pen so he could take notes._

 _"Just because two or more events occur at close temporal proximity does not necessitate a causal relationship between them," Seto continued, drawing a diagram. "Between any two proximal occurrences, there are never any more than three possible causal relationships in addition to the possibility of their being entirely unrelated._

 _"1) A causes B._

 _"2) B causes A._

 _"3) A and B are both caused by an unknown X._

 _"_ _Using variables assumes a closed system that doesn't exist in the real world, so you must always be open to the possibility of an unknown X. Before making any causal claim, you must have evidence to support it. When I get home this evening I'll have an assignment for you so you can practice applying this. It's a lesson in formal logic more than a lesson in business, but it's a necessary foundation from which to begin." Seto capped the blue marker and turned around to face his brother, who looked so focused as he jotted down notes while seated in the oversized office chair that Seto couldn't help but be reminded of his younger self._

 _"When is it due?" he asked, looking up as soon as he'd finished writing._

 _"Look, I'm not going to set deadlines for you. Either you want to do this or you don't. If it's what you want, you'll turn it in to me when it's done, and if you're having trouble with it, you can ask for help. It's your decision."_

 _Seto had gained control of KaibaCorp when he was his brother's age, and he'd been groomed with all sorts of advanced education even before that. It had been to his detriment, and he wasn't going to make that mistake with Mokuba. Did he want his little brother to become his business partner and work with him to run the company? Of course he did, but not unless Mokuba wished it too._

 _"Okay, thank you, Seto." The young high-schooler seemed satisfied with this arrangement. He also felt honored to have the opportunity to learn from the brother he'd always believed to be a genius._

Kaiba was pleased Mokuba had taken an interest in the family business, and so far, he'd demonstrated promising potential. Mokuba shared his brother's intelligence, but Seto wasn't surprised. He was a Kaiba after all.


	36. Parents

When Kaiba arrived home, he went to his room to change out of his suit. He was just removing his tie when he heard a cell phone ringing, but it wasn't his. He found it in the bathroom on the sink. It was Ryou's, and he picked it up to see who was calling.

Damn Bastard Zurg.

Kaiba chuckled to himself as he declined the call and took the phone back to their room to set it beside his. Ryou had set the last name of his father's contact with a Z so that it was at the bottom of his list. Out of sight, out of mind. Then he took it one step further and named it "Zurg," which was a villain in some movie that Kaiba'd never seen.

After changing his clothes, he asked a servant where his guests were: Odion was resting; Ryou, Marik, Ishizu, and Duke were watching a movie; Mokuba, Amane, and Ryou's mother were in the kitchen decorating cookies. He turned towards the game room first.

"Hi Seto!" Ryou greeted, the first to notice the brunette enter. Seto waved a hand in acknowledgement as the others greeted him too, approaching the back of the couch and leaning down next to Ryou.

"You-know-who called," he murmured as he passed Ryou his cell, the Brit's expression darkening at the news.

"You didn't talk to him did you?" Ryou asked in a low voice, not wanting to disrupt the others, although it was hard for them to pretend they weren't curious.

"No. There's no point."

Ryou nodded, pocketing his phone then reaching up again to hold Seto's hand across the back of the couch.

"Who called?" Marik was only asking what everyone else in the room wanted to know. Duke had a pretty decent guess, but the Ishtars were clueless.

"My dad," Ryou sighed, and Marik understood immediately. He'd been there with the group in Egypt when they'd run into Ryou's long-absent father. "I keep telling him to leave me alone," Ryou explained. "And he will for a while, but after several months or so he starts to feel guilty again and will try to call me."

"If you don't mind my asking, why don't you want to make amends with your father?" Ishizu asked after a slight hesitation. She knew it wasn't her place to ask, but she was puzzled. If she had the chance to have a fresh start with her father, she would take it.

"Because..." Ryou faltered, and Seto squeezed his hand. He shook his head and finished, "Because I've closed the door on that part of my life. For me, it's in the past, it's over. I've moved on and I just want him to let it be."

"He doesn't know about Amane and your mom, does he?" This notion hadn't occurred to Marik before.

"No, and I plan on keeping it that way." Ryou's eyes hardened with determination. "I don't tell him about them, and I don't talk to them about him. So long as I keep them separate, everyone's happy."

"Except your dad," Duke called out from where he was sleepily draped across the divan with one leg hooked over the back, one arm hanging down so that is hand rested on the floor, his other arm extended straight behind his head, and a throw pillow covering his face.

"I'm sure he's happy enough with his _new_ family," Ryou snapped irritably. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to try to calm himself. He hadn't wanted his father to invade their holiday, but now that he had, Ryou already felt like he'd spoiled the mood. Seto's thumb was brushing over the back of Ryou's knuckles in a comforting gesture, but it was Marik's hand on his knee that made him open his eyes.

"We won't mention him to them, don't worry," he said, speaking for his sister who was smiling at Ryou gently, the movie long forgotten.

"Father's are hard. We can respect your decision."

"Thanks." Ryou was relieved by his friends' kind expressions. They understood, and that was enough for him.

"So what's wrong with _you_?" Kaiba'd released Ryou's hand and was now approaching Duke.

"I hate retail," Duke grumbled, voice obscured by the pillow that Kaiba neatly plucked off his face and dropped on the floor. Kaiba rested one elbow on the thick arm-/head-rest and propped up his chin, laying the other fore-arm along the edge just behind Duke's head. "After our expansion project last winter, it's still hard to manage it at this size, and I can't be called out of my office every ten minutes because I have to manage the international distribution and promotion of Dungeon Dice Monsters."

"You're trying to run a medium-sized business like a small business, and it isn't working. You've outgrown The Black Clown; what you need to do now is rent an office space, hire a team of corporate administrators who can help you with your current work-load and enable you to take on more. You need to draw up plans to make The Black Clown into a chain store, set up a franchise, scout real estate in other cities for a new location, and put together a presentation for you to show potential investors. Your company will grow exponentially from that point forward, but you have to give it _room_ to grow."

Duke grumbled something unintelligible, then hooked his hand behind Kaiba's head and pulled him down into a grateful kiss.

"Now give me my pillow back, I have a headache."

* * *

"So what kind of things has he taught you so far?" Amane asked her co-brother-in-law as she carefully frosted the wings of a sugar cookie angel.

"Lesson eight was to always carry a knife," Mokuba answered with a furrowed brow, making Amane and her mother laugh a little. "I don't know what that has to do with business."

"What else?"

"Hm." Mokuba was focused on making his gingerbread man smile with his small tube of red icing. "Lesson three was about courtesy, so I had to read books on deportment and manners, including one by George Washington."

"And what is the great George Washington's advice on being polite?"

"He said that it's rude to whisper to one person while in the company of others," Mokuba answered immediately. That one had stuck out in his mind, so it was easy to recall. "And apparently I need to learn, like, ten languages." He paused in his decorating to push his bangs out of his eyes. Sometimes he wished that he'd left his hair longer, because when it was long, it was easier to tie back. Now that it was above his shoulders, it was harder to secure it back. "He's making me learn French first because of the party he and I have to go to this week."

"A party?"

"Not the fun kind of party," Mokuba said, wrinkling his nose in a funny expression that made Amane giggle. "The kind with boring adults who stand around looking rich and important."

"Oh yes, we rich, important adults are so _very_ boring," Seto said dryly as he entered the kitchen, making Mokuba wince in embarrassment. Amane started to laugh hard enough that she turned away from the cookies.

"Well, I wasn't talking about _you._ " Mokuba quickly tried to redeem himself, but he knew it was too late.

"That's alright, I know what you mean."

Seto gave him a soft smile and tousled his brother's hair before resting one hand on the edge of the chrome counter where the three of them were sitting on stools with their trays of cookies spread out before them. Kaiba stood behind his brother and a little to the side, close enough that Mokuba could feel his warmth at his back.

"This seems like a lot of cookies. Do you really think we're going to eat all of these?" There were easily six dozen cookies spread out on their cooling racks.

"I was thinking that we could take some to Yugi and Joey and the others," Mokuba answered, resisting the strong urge to lick the blue and green icing from his fingers. Ms. Bell had taught him, as soon as they started cooking, that you have to keep washing your hands when you cook, and if you lick your fingers, you have to wash them again. Mokuba quickly realized that it was more convenient to just not lick his fingers.

Ms. Bell. When Amane and her mother had been released from witness protection, they'd taken back their real names and identities. Mrs. Bakura's marriage, however, had for all intents and purposes been dissolved by her feigned death. So, when her daughter had become "Amane Bakura" once more, she'd taken back her maiden name to become Ms. Bell. Ms. Holly Bell. It was a lovely name, though it had made Kaiba curious. After a bit of research, he was able to put the pieces together quite easily: Mr. Bakura had been born and raised in Japan, then gone to London for university. There he met Holly, whom he later married. They lived there together for several years until Holly and Amane "died," after which Ryou's father took his son back to his home country. Less than a year later, Ryou received the Millennium Ring, and the rest was history.

Only Amane really knew what had happened to Holly during the years between then and now, and the more time Kaiba spent with Ryou's family, the more questions he had about them, especially his mother. Holly was quiet to the point of being reserved, but it wasn't for a lack of feeling. Ryou'd inherited his mother's empathy, that much was clear. To Kaiba, she seemed like a woman who'd suffered a weary life. Losing your husband and son as a young wife, then having to raise a young daughter alone while she feared for her life must have been difficult. Working so hard must have worn her out.

The separation from her husband hadn't been their choice; they'd still been in love when they last saw each other, so she must have suffered a decent amount of heart ache too. If she were anywhere near as sensitive as her son, those factors combined would be enough to wear her out. She seemed comfortable with Mokuba, though, which made Kaiba glad. Mokuba hadn't lost any of his cheerful charms as he grew up, so his sunny personality would do her good.

"You'll have to define what you mean by 'some of the others,'" Kaiba prompted as he snuck a plain sugar cookie from the tray.

Mokuba began to name them, counting them off on his fingers: "Yugi, Tea, Tristan, Joey and Serenity, and... I think that's it?"

"You don't sound certain."

"I think Rebecca and Professor Hawkins are in America right now, otherwise we'd bring cookies to them too."

"Is Rebecca your girlfriend?" Amane asked in a teasing tone, making Mokuba immediately blush in embarrassment.

"Pfft, no way! Besides, she has a crush on Yugi."

"Too bad for her that she's half his age," Kaiba scoffed with an eyeroll. Even so, they'd been nearly the same height back when he was sixteen.

" _And_ Yugi's dating Tea," Mokuba reminded him, forgetting that his brother was entirely indifferent to that fact.

"When did you plan on delivering them?"

"Either tomorrow or the day after."

"The day after is when we have that _boring_ holiday party, though."

"We could do it in the morning, before our flight."

"If you're quick about it, sure."

Mokuba pressed a pair of gum drops onto the dots of icing he'd placed on his gingerbread man's body and thoughtfully glanced over at his brother's hand clasping the counter's edge. There were questions that Mokuba would never ask his brother, and there were things that Mokuba would never know about Seto, but as he matured and learned more, Mokuba had been putting together the pieces that allowed him to know his brother better.

Learning from him did much to strengthen their bond. While they loved each other unconditionally, their communication skills had always been lacking. Seto's lessons let Mokuba see the world through his brother's eyes, and it was quite a different world from the one he knew.

When Mokuba looked at Seto's hand now, he remembered once seeing it glisten with blood and broken glass.

Now that he was older, he understood what that kind of behavior—punching mirrors and walls in fits of temper until he'd bloodied his hands—meant about Seto himself. His suspicions were confirmed whenever Seto rolled back his sleeves before writing on the whiteboard in his office for their lessons.

Mokuba understood that his brother had once struggled with self-harm, though he would never dare to say that out loud.

He placed his smaller hand on his brother's, covering the tiny white lines on his knuckles that were nearly invisible to the naked eye. The cuts had healed so well that unless you knew to look for signs of past damage, you'd miss the faint scars entirely.

Seto looked down at his brother, surprised by the touch, and they shared a small smile before Seto bent down to plant a small kiss atop the unruly nest of raven-colored hair.

A brother is a good thing.


	37. Unexpected

"Does this look straight to you?" Mokuba asked, turning to Amane as he gave up on his necktie.

"Almost," she answered with a soft giggle. "Here, let me see if I can get it." Amane began to fidget with his tie now, eyes focused on it intently. She was maybe two years older than him, but they were nearly the same height. Nearly. She still had a couple inches on him, but Mokuba could feel that he was due for a growth spurt. He aspired to be taller than his brother so that he wouldn't be the little one anymore, and he'd make that happen one way or another.

"I wish you were coming with us. It wouldn't be so boring if you were there."

"I thought it was part of your business training, though?" Amane pointed out calmly, making Mokuba sigh.

"Yeah, I guess, but that doesn't mean I'm going to like it."

"You don't have to like it, you just have to learn from it," Seto said calmly as he entered the room, his broad shoulders filling the doorway as the two teens looked up at him. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I think so." Mokuba tweaked his violet tie one last time and beamed up at him, eliciting a soft smile from his brother. Seto asked him something in French, and Mokuba promptly responded, confident in his answer.

"You seem ready to me. Come on, then."

Seto led the way as his brother and sister-in-law followed him into the hallway.

"So, why did Mokuba need to learn French for this party?" Amane asked curiously.

"Because the French ambassador to Japan will be there, and speaking his native language will impress him and ease communication," Seto answered matter-of-factly.

"You're going to meet the French ambassador?" She was sincerely impressed.

" _I_ have met him before, but Mokuba hasn't," Kaiba answered nonchalantly as they neared the front door where Ryou, Duke, and Marik waited to say goodbye to them. Seto kissed Ryou and Duke in turn, and Marik was standing next in line.

"Can I get a kiss too?" Marik joked cheekily.

"Not a chance, Ishtar," Seto scoffed, but pat Marik on the head anyways. It made him grin. Seto had figured that gesture would be satisfactory, because Ryou liked it too and they were like peas in a pod.

"Travel safely!" Ryou called after the brothers as they left the warm comfort of the mansion. Things were pretty low key after that. The afternoon was spent explaining to the Ishtars what Christmas was about and where it came from.

"I remember when I was in grade school," Ryou recounted with a dreamy smile, his hands wrapped around a mug of hot cocoa. "And I heard that the original Santa Claus gave money to young couples in love who were too poor to get married."

"That might be why you're such a sap," Duke teased, bending down over the back of the couch to peck Ryou's cheek.

"I'll always remember Saint Nicholas as the guy who smacked down Arius for being a heretic at the Council of Nicaea." Amane grinned to herself, and when Rishid frowned at her in confusion, she sighed, "It's a Catholic thing."

"Santa Claus is the guy in the red suit with a white beard who has mastered the art of being in every house in the world that has kids at midnight simultaneously so that he can deliver presents and the occasional lump of coal, while also accepting a small offering of milk and cookies. He flies a sleigh pulled by 'eight tiny reindeer' who can fly. Sometimes it's nine reindeer, if it's an especially foggy night." Duke's understanding of Santa Claus was the traditional one he'd held as a kid.

"What does Kaiba think about Christmas?" Ishizu asked.

"He thinks of it as a commercial holiday," Duke began, Ryou chiming in to help him finish the thought.

"—For the purpose of scaring kids into good behavoir and boosting retale store foot traffic and revenue." They laughed together at that, though it was accurate.

"That's what he says, but he'll still watch _White Christmas_ with me." Ryou beamed, as if he were proud of the brunette accomplishing something.

* * *

"May I help you, sir?" The butler greeted the unexpected guest on their doorstep politely, but his demeanor was guarded.

"Yes, I'm here to see my son, Ryou Bakura." The middle-aged man held his hat in front of him in both hands, looking slightly anxious.

"Were you expected?"

"No, I-I came as a surprise."

"Please come inside and wait here while I let him know you're here." The butler gave a slight bow before leaving the foyer to find the young master.

He found Duke first in the course of his search, and informed him, the head of the household when Kaiba was absent, of their guest's presence and who he wished to speak with.

"Tanaka, please take Dr. Bakura to the lounge and keep his presence here to yourself. I'll be in to see him shortly."

"Yes, Master Devlin." Tanaka bowed to Duke before leaving to obey his orders. Duke stood stewing over this news, his anger growing rapidly. He took a deep breath and tied his dice pouch to his belt—he'd been on his way to play a game of Dungeon Dice Monsters with Ishizu, but it looked like he'd have to put that on hold. He sent a quick text to Ryou, telling him to get the duel started until he got there. He silenced his phone and took an indirect path to the lounge to try and give himself a chance to clear his head.

The lounge was a room seldom used by Kaiba or anyone else. It was lushly appointed with leather upholstery, brass fixtures, dark wood paneling, and the faint residue of cigar smoke. This would be Duke's second time meeting Ryou's father face to face, but the first time he ever had a real conversation with him. There was no way that it could possibly go well.

"You really don't know when to quit, do you?"

It wasn't the opening Duke had planned, but they were the first words out of his mouth.

" _Obviously_ , you know how to quit when the going gets rough, but you don't know how to give up when you're clearly an unwelcome presence in his life."

"Hold on, now, that's not fair." The archaeology professor stood from his chair, still looking irked and uncertain. "You weren't there—"

"No, but I was there to help him pick up the pieces of what was left after what you and the spirit did to him!" Duke was shouting at him now, though he hadn't originally planned on doing any such thing.

"Spirit—?"

"You have no place in his life anymore, so instead of trying to reunite with _him_ , the son who never wants to see your face again, you should be at home with your _new_ family on the day before Christmas Eve."

"Who are you to him?"

"I'm his husband and I love him more than you ever did." Duke's proclamation was fearless and sincere, stunningly so.

"If you two are married, then how come you're living at the Kaiba mansion?" He was utterly perplexed.

"Because we married Kaiba too!" Duke exclaimed, and when the older man's face took on an expression of total shock, he added, "It's the twenty-first century, get over it!"

"If you love him so much, let him speak for himself."

"I'm just telling you what I know he'd tell you. You have been out of his life for too long to even know who he is anymore!" As Duke began listing things, he started counting them off on his fingers. "You weren't there when he was possessed by an evil spirit, when he was having panic attacks, wheny he was having nightmares, when he had a brain tumor—"

"He had a _what_?!"

"You just need to give up and get out." Duke pointed to the door, eyes hard as gems. "Tanaka," he called more loudly, crossing his arms.

"Yes, Master Devlin?"

"Please show this man off of our property."

"Yes, sir."

Dr. Bakura and Duke exchanged a hard look, and for a moment, Duke was afraid he wouldn't leave. He did, though, and Duke went to join Ryou and their guests.

"Oh, good, you're back," Ryou smiled with relief when Duke entered. "I wasn't entirely certain that I was remembering all the rules. It's been a while."

"It's fine, babe, I'm sure you didn't miss anything important." Duke pecked Ryou's cheek as they passed each other, Duke stepping onto the platform just as Ryou was stepping off.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. We'll talk after dinner, okay?"

"Okay."

The exchange was brief, but it was enough to plant a little seed of doubt in Ryou's mind.


	38. Birthday

"Did he say what he wanted?" Ryou asked, discouragement setting in.

"He said that he wanted to talk to you, but don't worry, I sent him on his way." Duke placed his hands on Ryou's shoulders and kissed his forehead. "I left orders with the guards not to let him on our property again."

"Does Seto know he came by?"

"I'll tell him when he gets home." Duke kept his lips to Ryou's head and put his arms around the other's slim shoulders. "He didn't cause any trouble, so I decided not to bother him with it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Ryou took a deep breath and straightened up. "If he didn't cause a problem, then I guess it's out of our hands. I'm mostly worried about how he knows where I live."

"I'll ask Seto to beef up our internet security just in case he got it through phishing or malware." Duke tenderly touched Ryou's cheek. "Are you going to be alright with this?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." He smiled and gave Duke a kiss to assure him. "I'm not going to let it ruin Christmas _or_ Marik's birthday. Speaking of which, we should probably get back to our guests so we can give him his present."

* * *

Later that evening, after Ishizu, Odion, and Mum had turned in for the night, Amane was looking for her brother. After dinner and Marik's birthday dessert, they'd started another Christmas movie. At some point during the film, Ryou and Marik had slipped away together. Duke and Amane had decided to split up and search for them, so he was checking their bedrooms while on the phone with Kaiba to check what time they'd be home. Meanwhile, Amane was checking the more public rooms of the mansion: the library, the greenhouse, the foyer, the lounge, Seto's office, and whatever else she happened to find. She found them in Ryou's diorama room sharing a bottle of rosé and speaking in low tones. Marik noticed Amane's entrance at the same time that Ryou slumped against his friend, leaning heavily on his shoulder.

"What's up with him?"

"Apparently, alcohol puts him to sleep," Marik answered light-heartedly, putting an arm around Ryou's shoulders to better support him. "What's up with you?"

"Oh, I just came looking for you guys." Amane carefully sat at the chair across the table from the other two. "I didn't know where you went."

"We were just here, talking."

"Talking about what?" Amane was infinitely curious.

"The past," Marik sighed, tucking Ryou's hair behind his ear in a gesture of soft affection whose significance was not lost on her.

"You love him, don't you?" Perhaps it was too bold of her to ask out loud, but Marik didn't seem to mind the precocious, impertinent question.

"In my own way, yes." Marik's lavender eyes were softly directed towards his half-asleep friend.

"Everyone loves him." She couldn't keep the envy out of her voice, and Marik looked directly at her for the first time since she'd entered.

"It wasn't always that way. For so long, he was lost and alone. That's something that we shared." Marik wrapped the end of a slim lock of white hair around his finger as he looked back at Ryou. "He's more than earned every ounce of love he gets after what he's been through."

Amane thought he was only talking about Ryou's broken family, prolonged solitude, and long war with school bullies. Those reasons seemed sufficient to her, so she didn't question him.

"Oh good, you found them."

Amane looked up as Duke entered, wearing an indulgent smile when he saw Ryou slumped against Marik.

"How many glasses did he have before he fell asleep?" Duke asked with a smile as he crossed the room to stand at Ryou's side and tilt him in Duke's direction a little to ease his weight off of Marik.

"Almost two," Marik answered, eyes sparkling with amusement. He smiled warmly, and the longer Amane watched him, the more she liked him. "People like that are called lightweights, aren't they?"

"Yep." Duke rubbed his knuckles up and down Ryou's back in a softly rousing gesture. "Ryou, honey, you need to wake up," he called softly, now bent down to speak right into his ear.

"'M 'wake," Ryou muttered, his eyes still closed.

"Come on, then, let's get you to bed." Duke put Ryou's arms over his shoulders and wrapped his arms around Ryou's torso, and Ryou managed to get his arms around Duke's neck without opening his eyes. Duke hoisted him out of his chair, but once Ryou was standing, he sank forward against Duke, not quite able to hold himself up.

"Do you need help?" Marik asked, willing to lend a hand if Duke wanted it, or to enjoy the show if he didn't.

"No, thanks, I've got him." Duke grinned and nudged Ryou until he was awake enough for Duke to get him walking suffiently well. Duke got Ryou back to their room, but he didn't, as Duke had predicted, pass out on the bed. Instead, Ryou threw his arms around Duke and nuzzled in close.

"Play the sangria song, Duke," he pleaded, making his lover laugh. "I want to dance."

"Of course, angel." Duke removed his phone from his pocket and instructed the AI to play Sangria by Blake Shelton. He turned the volume up to max and tossed his phone to the foot of the bed before slipping one arm around Ryou's waist and taking his hand. It was a slowdance, the oldest and simplest dance known to mankind. The song was one of those soft romantic country songs that Ryou liked.

"Seto should be home soon," Duke informed him.

"Good, cause I'm horny," Ryou mumbled. His comment surprised a snort of laughter out of Duke.

"Oh, so _that's_ how it is." He shook his head in mock disapproval. "You naughty little rascal." He tousled Ryou's hair, and the Brit leaned into Duke's touch appreciatively. "You're so cute."

"Thank you, babe." Ryou sighed with desire and sank further into Duke's body. "You're always so sexy. Like a god…"

"Tell me more," Duke murmured, wanting to know more of his thoughts. Ryou felt and thought a lot of things, but he only voiced a small percentage of what went on in his mind.

"You've got great hair, like a pirate, but you actually shower."

Duke was mid-laugh when their lover opened the door.

"Seto!" Ryou sleepily exclaimed, releasing Duke to throw himself at the brunette, who'd already removed his suit jacket and tie and draped them over one arm. Ryou's hands gently landed on Kaiba's cheeks and pulled him down into a welcome home kiss. After a soft groan, Kaiba put an arm around him, his loose necktie slithering to the floor.

"Hello to you too." Kaiba was pleasantly surprised by the eager greeting. "Did he have white wine or rosé?" He could taste the wine on his lips and tongue. The question was aimed at Duke, who was in the process of letting his hair down.

"Rosé; you know that's his favorite, because it sounds the most romantic." Duke started to undress, removing his layered t-shirts and earrings first. He never slept in his earrings to minimize the risk of his ears getting infected or otherwise bothered.

"How was your party?" Ryou asked, fingers slowly working at the small buttons of Seto's shirt.

"Mokuba's not the only one who's exhausted, but he _was_ the only one to fall asleep in the car on our way home."

"Poor kid," Duke sympathized, dropping his studs into a crystal ashtray that hadn't been used for its intended purpose in almost a decade. "How did Mokuba do?"

"He handled himself quite well. I'm proud of him." Seto stroked Ryou's hair as he shifted a little so he could close and lock their bedroom door behind him. "We discussed Plato's _Republic_ on the flight home."

"Are you sure you're not asking too much of him?" Duke turned around to lean against the dresser with his hands in his pockets.

"He's the one who asked for lessons." Kaiba's eyebrows drew together with concern. "If he wants to stop, he just has to say so."

"Yeah, but does he know that?" Duke persisted. "I know you don't express an expectation for him to be just like you, but he might feel that pressure nonetheless. Let's face it, if he wants to take after you, then he has some pretty big shoes to fill."

"And you know what they say about men with big feet." Ryou smirked up at Seto mischievously.

"That escalated quickly." Kaiba didn't protest, though, when Ryou reached down to undo his patent alligator leather belt.

"He's quite eager tonight." Duke grinned ferally. "And he told me that I look like a pirate."

"And what do I look like, pray tell?" _Please don't say a businessman_.

"I've always wanted to see you dressed as a cowboy." Ryou curled his fingers through Seto's bangs. "All rugged and scruffy and tanned and smelling like the sun and the mountain…"

Kaiba chuckled and asked, "Where do I live in this hypothetical scenario? Montana?"

"Sounds good to me."

He pecked Ryou's cheek and said, "Just let me hang up this suit first before we get started."

"Fine," Ryou sighed theatrically, releasing Kaiba to turn and stroll towards the bed. "Hurry up, though, before I change my mind."

"He's not changing his mind," Duke laughed as Ryou sprawled on the covers. Duke followed Kaiba into the bathroom, closing the door as they heard Ryou change the music on Duke's phone. While the businessman hung his suit jacket on a hanger, Duke seated himself on the bathroom sink.

"His dad came by today."

"What did he want?"

"He wanted to talk to Ryou, of course, but I didn't let him. I had him thrown out and told the guards to stop him at the gate next time."

"Good, you did the right thing." It was encouraging to hear, not that Duke was seeking approval from him.

"It's almost scary how persistent he is. We don't even know _how_ he knows that Ryou lives here. Do you think we should get a restraining order?"

"If he shows up again or if Ryou's especially bothered by this incident, then yes, I think we should. It can only help us."

They were speaking in low tones so that he didn't hear them and become upset. Ryou's spirit was strong, his heart loved deeply, but his mind was fragile—and the spirit of the Millennium Ring was at least partially at fault for that. They'd only just settled into something stable again; the last thing Ryou needed was to have that delicate balance upset once more.

"Save a horse, ride a cowboy!" Ryou's voice singing along to the music was loud enough for them to hear, and the enthusiasm with which he sang the suggestive lyric made them both laugh.

"Come on, let's join him before he gets Marik to dress up for him instead," Duke said with a grin and a wink. "He does have that tan, after all."

Seto tousled his hair and laughed.


	39. Disowned

"So once you've finished packing the snow into a nice solid ball," Mokuba instructed, breath rising in puffs of steam as he squeezed the snowball between his gloved hands. "And then you just throw it, like this!" Mokuba chucked the snowball at an unsuspecting Marik, who was busy helping Amane solidify a snowman's base to keep it upright. The snowball crumbled upon contact with Marik's shoulder, the snow spattering over his coat and into his loose hair.

"Hey!" Marik protested good-naturedly as Amane tried to smother her giggles.

"Let me give this a try." Ishizu knelt down in the snow and gathered a handful of snow, packing it into a tight ball between her waterproof gloves. "Like... this?" She hurled the ball good and hard at her brother's head.

"Hey!" Odion exclaimed in surprise at the burst of snow smattering against his knit cap.

"Yep!" Ryou laughed a little. Now that the art of snowball-making had been explained, they split into proper teams for a snowball fight. They were about to start when one of the guards from the front gate could be seen approaching them.

"Hold on just a moment," Ryou said to the others. "I'll be right back." He dashed away from the group to meet with the guard out of earshot, knowing that he wouldn't be coming to disturb them unless it was important.

"Master Bakura," the guard greeted with a slight bow at the waist. "There's a man at the gate requesting to see you. We've been given orders to bar him from entering, but he insists that he won't leave until he's spoken with you. He claims to be a relative of yours...?"

Ryou sighed and closed his eyes. Maybe if he finally talked to him, he'd go away.

"I'll speak with him," he told the guard with a sigh. "You are to tell no one of his visit except for Mr. Kaiba, though. Understood?"

"Yes, Master Bakura." The guard nodded and guided the young man to his father.

"Ryou." The name sounded alien in the voice of his estranged father.

"We'll talk outside the gates, Takano," Ryou informed the guard, barely stopping to look at his father before joining him outside the gates. Then they stood face to face, eye to eye.

Ryou shoved his hands in his pockets and turned, starting to walk along the property's border-wall. His father moved a moment later and fell in line beside him, just one step behind.

"Shouldn't you be with your _real_ family during the holidays?"

"That's funny; Devlin said the same thing to me yesterday."

"Of course he did. He's right. You _should_ be with your family on Christmas Eve, not with a stranger."

"Ryou—"

"Don't call me by my first name." Ryou's interruption was cold, as cold as the glare he gave his father out of the corner of his eyes. "I don't like it when strangers do that."

"Bakura, then," the professor corrected, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "I moved my family to Japan this fall. I'm not that far away from them at all right now."

"Good for you."

"I want to make amends with you." His son's sour sarcasm didn't dissuade him. "I want us to be a family again. I know that running away from my problems the way I did was wrong, but—"

"Running away from your problems?" Ryou repeated, eyes wide in anger as he ceased walking and turned to face the older man. "And I was just one of those problems, wasn't I?"

"I didn't mean—"

"Of course you did. You wouldn't have said it otherwise." Ryou turned to fully face his father. "Have you even realized that I've spent over half of my life getting along just fine without you?"

"Based on what your husband told me yesterday, 'just fine' doesn't sound like an apt description," the archaeologist murmured sadly.

"What did he tell you?" Ryou demanded, on his guard once more. Why would Duke tell him _anything_ about Ryou's life? He didn't have a right to know.

"He mentioned a brain tumor, and panic attacks," Dr. Bakura answered slowly, his tone even. "And—"

"Then forget everything he told you. I'm fine now. In fact, I'm better than ever, so you can just go back home to your perfect little family and forget about me. You know, like you've _been_ doing for the past decade."

"Ryou—"

"Don't call me that!" Ryou's fists clenched at his sides. He was fighting so hard just to keep himself under control. "I don't know how you planned on making amends with me for your screw ups, but I'll tell you now that there's nothing you can do to make me forgive you. I'm safe, I'm happy, and I'm living a fulfilling life that has no place for _you_ in it. So you need to give up and go home—wherever that is for you now."

Ryou brushed past his stunned father, striding back the way they'd come. About eight feet away, he stopped again.

"You know, I almost took Kaiba's name when we got married," he said over his shoulder with cruel intent and a calm expression. "But he's too famous, and that would draw too much attention to myself. I would have taken Duke's but, well, it just didn't sound right. I would have taken it, though, if it would have kept you from ever finding me again."

"I didn't find you because of your name," the rejected father whispered, his words almost lost in a gush of wind.

"Then how did you find me?" That question had been gnawing at Ryou since yesterday.

"Through your friend Yugi."

 _Damn it, Yugi_ , Ryou thought reflexively. _Why couldn't you just keep your nose out of this_?

"I was worried when I heard you were living with two men. I feared that they were using you. That's why I was so insistent that I get to see you. I needed to see for myself that you were alright."

Ryou laughed, the sound low and mirthless. "If they're using me, then I'm using them just as much. When I lived with Duke, I didn't have to pay rent, and the same thing applies here. My college tuition is paid in full, all my needs are taken care of, and nothing is demanded of me. I have the president of a multi-billion-dollar corporation all figured out and wrapped around my little finger like a diamond ring. I live in a mansion safer than a Swiss bank. I lack for nothing, not even family." Ryou took a deep breath and reiterated, "I don't need you, and I never will."

With those words, he turned and reentered the gates, leaving his father behind alone in the snow.


	40. Puppeteer

_**Darkness.**_

 _ **Why did his dreams always have to take place in a chilling darkness?**_

 _ **Ryou shivered and started trying to grope his way through the inky blackness, the invisible walls closing in on him as he knew they inevitably would. As he crawled, he suddenly met with resistance. He could move his leg any farther forward. He looked down and saw that a rope was tied around his ankle.**_

 _ **Both ankles.**_

 _ **Both wrists.**_

 _ **Panic flooded his mind, and just as he tried to pull them off, he was jerked to his feet by an unseen force.**_

 _ **He was nothing but a puppet, under someone else's control.**_

 _ **"Remember me?"**_

 _ **"No..." Ryou closed his eyes and shook his head. This was a dream. It wasn't real. It couldn't be real.**_

 _ **"It's been years, but I'm back now."**_

 _ **Ryou reached for the ropes on his wrists again, but just as his fingers closed around the rope encircling his left wrist, the center of his hand burst with blood, and he cried out.**_

 _ **"Didn't you miss me, Ryou?"**_

 _ **The puppeteer's voice echoed eerily, and Ryou closed his eyes again, clamping his hands over his ears as he tried to block the sound of the man's voice.**_

 _ **"Don't you want me to stay?"**_

 _ **His arm and chest started bleeding too, and his hands were forced away from his head by the pull of the strings.**_

 _ **"Don't you want me to stay with you, little boy?"**_

 _ **"No! Go away! Leave me alone!" Ryou shouted desperately, still trying to pull his hands free from the ropes.**_

 _ **"Tsk tsk... What a naughty little boy. Maybe this will teach you not to say such horrible things."**_

 _ **Before Ryou knew what was happening, a thin noose had slipped around his neck and tightened. The more he fought to free himself, the tighter it became, choking him, cutting off his air.**_

 _Ryou was clawing at his own throat as he tried to free himself from suffocating, so when someone grabbed both of his wrists and pulled them away from his neck, he panicked even more._

 _"Yadonushi! Yadonushi, wake up!" a too-familiar voice shouted in his face. Ryou's eyes flew open to find his twin staring him in the face._

 _"Yadonushi, you're covered in blood," the spirit said coolly as his lighter half struggled beneath him._

 _Ryou looked down at himself and gasped in shock. So much blood... it wasn't all his, right? He couldn't lose that much blood and survive, could he?_

 _"You need to be more careful, Yadonushi," the spirit sighed with a disappointed shake of his head. He leaned down and pecked Ryou's lips, even as Ryou still fought for air. "All these years and you still haven't learned how to properly stand up for yourself. Will you ever learn, Yadonushi?" he murmured against a stunned Ryou's cheek. "Will you?"_

"Ryou, wake up! Ryou!" It was Kaiba's voice that finally woke Ryou from his unhappy dreams. He was holding both his wrists in a firm grip, straddling him to pin him down and stop his thrashing. Ryou jerked awake, lungs screaming for air, fingertips gritty with clustered skin cells that he instinctively knew were his own.

"You were hurting yourself in your sleep."

Duke's concerned voice made Ryou turn his head, now glancing between two worried faces focused on him.

"You're bleeding..." Duke murmured, looking a bit fearful. Ryou started, and reached one hand up to his neck, knowing from his second dream that that's where the blood would be. Yes, there it was, slick between his fingers.

"Come on, let me help you take care of it." Kaiba's words and hands were equally gentle as he dismounted his husband and led him to the bathroom, unbuttoning his shirt before taking a wet washcloth and starting to wipe his neck clean. Duke, with his hair loose and his pajamas rumpled, hovered anxiously by the doorway. He didn't speak until Kaiba was pressing bandaids over the disinfected scratches.

"What happened, Ryou? Something must have happened that upset you."

"I talked to my father."

"I'm getting a restraining order on him," Kaiba muttered with a sour expression.

"What did he say to you?" Duke pressed.

"He said that he moved back to Japan and that he wants to get to know me."

"And what did you say to him?" Kaiba queried.

"I told him to go to hell."

"That's my boy." Duke stepped close and kissed Ryou's cheek. "But please, don't scare me like this again, okay?" Self-harm bothered Duke more than Ryou could understand, but that was only a fair incentive to be more careful.

"I can't control what I do in my sleep, Duke."

"You didn't take your supplement before bed, though did you?"

Kaiba's question made Ryou stiffen, which was enough of an answer for both of them.

"I didn't think I needed it."

Kaiba pressed the last band-aid into place and kissed Ryou's lips. "Please keep taking them, okay? You really scared us just now. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you to scratch at your throat the way you were? Do you even realize how close you might have come to nicking an artery or vein? You would have bled out before we could get help. You wouldn't stand a chance."

"Okay, I'll be more careful."

Seto traced his thumb over Ryou's bottom lip, kissed him again, then helped him stand and led him back to bed with Duke on Ryou's other side. The three of them were curled up close together under the blankets when Ryou spoke again.

"I was choking," he whispered. "H-He was choking me."

"In your dream, you mean?"

"Yeah. I was just his puppet."

"He being... the spirit of the Millennium Ring?" Duke guessed uncertanly. He was the only recurring person in Ryou's nightmares, as far as he knew, so he thought that would be a safe guess.

"No, my father." Ryou pressed his face into the pillow as strong arms encircled him from both sides. "There was blood everywhere..."

"Sh, it's alright. It was only a dream."

"And I'll make sure he never bothers you again," Kaiba promised. "Not in real life, at least."

"Don't let go of me," Ryou whispered, eyes squeezed shut as he huddled between them.

"We won't."

* * *

Ryou managed to sleep for an hour, but then he woke up again and couldn't get back to sleep. Feeling restless, he squirmed out of two embraces, placing a kiss on each of their cheeks' before he tiptoed out of their room wearing only his pajamas and his socks.

It was after two in the morning, so the whole house was hushed and still. The waxing quarter moon was shining brightly, but the stars were obscured by clouds. Still, it was beautiful enough for Ryou to meander beside the high windows of the hall for a while.

His feet soon carried him towards the kitchen, more out of habit than anything else. He wasn't the only one who'd thought to have a midnight snack that night, though. Before Ryou even stepped into the kitchen, he could hear familiar voices.

Marik, his hair in a messy low bun, and Amane, wearing a sufficiently modest pajama set for Ryou's taste, seemed to be sharing smiles and a half-gallon tub of chocolate ice cream.

"Hey," Marik greeted, voice loud enough to be heard but quieter than his usual volume. "What are you doing up? Couldn't sleep either?"

Ryou just grunted incoherently as he shuffled inside, rubbing at his eyes. There was only one small light on in the heavily shadowed chrome kitchen, but Ryou had been walking around in the darkness and a single forty-watt bulb was enough to agitate his eyes. He walked right up to Marik, leaning into his side with a tired sigh. Marik smiled and put an arm around Ryou's shoulders to hold him steady as Ryou's forehead pressed against his shoulder.

"It's just one of those nights, huh?"

Ryou nodded slightly, arms still hanging limp at his sides.

"We were just eating ice cream. I hope you don't mind that we're eating straight from the carton." Amane seemed unconcerned, and Ryou didn't seem to care either way. His face was hidden by a curtain of fluffy white hair, even his hands hidden by his too-long sleeves.

"Are those Kaiba's pj's?" Amane asked suddenly.

"Maybe," Ryou hummed, shifting his arms to hug Marik's torso as his Egyptian friend scooped a spoonful of ice cream from the carton with his free hand.

"Want some?" he offered, and Ryou's response was to sleepily lift his head and open his mouth.

Amane couldn't help but laugh at them, finding the scene cute in an awkward way, like a mother bird trying to feed her baby while the baby was only half awake.

"What _are_ you doing awake, Ryou?" she asked before eating another spoonful herself.

"Woke up, couldn't go back to sleep," he mumbled with an indifferent shrug.

"Want me to make some tea?"

"Yes please."

Amane put the kettle on and prepped the mug of herbal tea for her brother, having learned by now the kinds that he liked for helping him sleep. As she did this, Ryou continued to tiredly hang on Marik, and Marik supported him with a smile. Amane had to wonder, yet again, about the circumstances of their meeting and what-all had bonded them to each other that they were still this close. Ryou's tea was soon ready, and when she set it down on the counter in front of him, she leaned in to peck his cheek.

"I'm off to bed. Try to get some sleep, you two."

"Sleep well," Marik called after her and she waved her hand in acknowledgement as she left the room. Several seconds after she disappeared from sight, Marik gave Ryou a nudge. "Alright, drop the act. What happened to your neck?"

Ryou sighed, straightened up, and moved away from Marik, hopping onto the edge of the counter where he perched unapologetically, holding back his hair so Marik could see the bandaids in their entirety. By acting more tired than he really was, Ryou had gotten away with hanging his head and hair in a way that they were hidden from view. Marik had still seen them, once, but Amane hadn't, which was more important.

"I was scratching myself in my sleep," he explained softly as Marik gingerly touched one bandage as he leaned in for a closer look. "Seto and Duke had to wake me up to make me stop."

"Were you dreaming?"

"A nightmare."

"Hm." Marik stepped back, picking up the carton of ice cream and his spoon as he leaned back against the opposite countertop while Ryou picked up his mug of tea.

"I talked to my dad yesterday. Remember when I had to leave for a bit before we started the snowball fight?"

"Yeah."

"That's why. He was at the gate again, but Kaiba left orders that he's not allowed on the property, so they wouldn't let him in."

"Hm." Marik sucked the sweet chocolate off the spoon thoughtfully, as if trying to make up his mind about something.

"I've never hurt myself in my sleep before. I didn't even know that was possible for someone to do." Ryou shuddered. "To be honest... I'm kind of scared to go back to sleep now."

"I had that problem for a while a bit after the resolution of Battle City," Marik said quietly, staring intently into his ice cream as he scraped together another spoonful. "I didn't scratch, but I kept waking up with bruises that I couldn't explain. Ishizu was really worried about me. They both were." He paused to eat his spoonful of ice cream, eyes tactfully averted. "I think it was due to my mounting sense of guilt. After Yugi banished _Him_ to the Shadows, I started to remember things that _He_ _—_ I—had done. It was a lot more than I had expected, and the more memories that came to me, the worse I felt..." He bit his bottom lip momentarily, then shoved the cream-laden spoon back into his mouth, teeth clashing with the metal due to the ungraceful motion of the gesture.

This was news to Ryou. While he and Marik had eventually gotten back in touch after the fiasco in Egypt, they'd both still been hesitant with each other at the time, and neither had wanted to go into much detail about any part of their pasts.

"Therapy helped, but it was a problem for about two and a half months. If the cause of your problem tonight was simply stress and anxiety induced by talking to your dad, then as long as you focus on relaxing and thinking about other things, it shouldn't happen again. Not so long as he stays away."

"That's what I'm worried about. Seto says that he's going to get a restraining order on him, but I don't think my dad will listen to it. I've never seen him this stubborn about seeing me before. It's weird. I'm not used to him trying this hard when it comes to me." Ryou sipped his tea and sighed, looking forlorn. Marik ate another bite of ice cream as he pondered what best to say next.

* * *

 **A/N: I am sorry. I really am. I'm a hopeless Angstshipper, and Ryou's such a polyamorous little shit in this story that, if I didn't care so much about Duke and Kaiba and NOT making this a foursome because lord only knows all the yummy smut fun ideas I'd have and whait why is that a bad thing again? O_O . . . . . . . . . . . Oh! Right! I don't want to be modelling bad relationship models for my readers but oh wait I already do that in other stories don't I? Huh... Remind me again why I shouldn't do the foursome in this story and make it my ideal YuGiOh harem lovin' on each other? I... really don't know anymore why that shouldn't happen... because this whole story takes place in a magical universe where jealousy doesn't exist and it is nothing but smut, feels, fanservice, and then some plot to make those things happen. Like... What is my life?! ... Writing this at almost four in the morning... why... what... how... X-X**

 **Okay, I'm being serious now, with my serious face. :| If you want to see Marik join my babies in bed, VOTE YES IN A REVIEW.**

 **If you want Marik and Ryou to just stay friends and for me not to let the horny part of my brain run amok with this story, VOTE NO IN A REVIEW.**

 **Or, alternatively, send me a PM telling me why I'm a horrible person, how I need to fix my life, etc.**

 **[Btw, I call Kaiba x Duke x Marik x Ryou "Convertshipping" in my head, but that's not official. I am writing a one-shot for it, though, where Kaiba's god, because... because Kaiba. Yeah.]**

 ***nonchalant whistling***


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